Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs Aug-2020

Showing 61 - 80 of 222 entries

61. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched a programme for Agarbatti artisans under which scheme?

A
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

B
Gramodyog Vikas Yojana

C
Start-up India Scheme

D
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Gramodyog Vikas Yojana ]

Explaination : [Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has recently approved a programme for artisans who make Agarbatti. The programme aims to develop village industry under ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’. Under the programme, four pilot projects will be started that includes one in the North Eastern part of the country. Each cluster of artisans will be provided with automatic Agarbatti making machines. ]

62. When is Sanskrit Diwas (Sanskrit Day) 2020 celebrated?

A
August 3

B
August 4

C
August 5

D
August 6

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [August 3]

Explaination : [Sanskrit Diwas also known as ‘Vishva samskrita dinam’ is celebrated on the full moon of the ‘Shravana’ month of Hindu calendar. This year, Sanskrit Day that promotes the revival of the language is celebrated on August 3. All India Radio broadcasted the first special program in Sanskrit titled ‘Bahujan Bhasha – Sanskrit Bhasha’ to mark the occasion. ]

63. Which sports association has declared that it will pardon the players who voluntarily declare age fraud?

A
Board of Control for Cricket in India

B
Hockey India

C
Athletics Federation of India

D
Badminton Association of India

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Board of Control for Cricket in India]

Explaination : [The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently announced that it will pardon the players who voluntarily declare age fraud. It will grant amnesty to registered players who voluntarily declare that they have manipulated their date of birth but those who found to have breached the scheme would be granted a two-year suspension. Then, they will not be allowed to participate in any age group tournaments of BCCI and the State boards.]

64. The first anniversary of the creation of which Union Territory/ies was observed on August 5?

A
Dadra & Nagar Haveli

B
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

C
Chandigarh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh]

Explaination : [On August 5 2019, the special status of Article 370 and 35-A of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and it was bifurcated into two Union Territories. The first anniversary of the event was observed on the same day this year. During the past year, several initiatives carried out in the UTs include National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS), Extension of all allowances of Central Government employees, J&K Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission.]

65. Who is the Chairperson of the Expert Committee on Debt resolution, constituted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?

A
Usha Thorat

B
Urjit Patel

C
K V Kamath

D
N K Singh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [K V Kamath]

Explaination : [The Reserve Bank of India has constituted an expert group on Debt resolution under the chairmanship of KV Kamath. The committee would recommend to the RBI on the financial parameters and their sector-specific benchmark ranges, for deploying in Debt resolution plans. RBI will provide a window under the ‘Prudential Framework on Resolution of Stressed Assets’.]

66. Which country is set to host the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup?

A
South Africa

B
India

C
Sri Lanka

D
Pakistan

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [India ]

Explaination : [As per the recent notification of the International Cricket Council (ICC), India retained the right to host the 2021 T20 World Cup. ICC also announced that Australia will conduct this year’s (T20 World Cup 2020) postponed edition of the World Cup Tournament in 2022. Next year’s women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand has been postponed till February-March 2022. ]

67. Rajamalai, where a massive landslide has occurred, is located in which state?

A
Tamil Nadu

B
Kerala

C
Andhra Pradesh

D
Karnataka

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Kerala]

Explaination : [A massive landslide occurred at Rajamalai, Idukki district of Kerala after torrential rains. At least 15 people were said to have been died with several people being injured. More than 50 people among the settlement of tea estate workers in are feared to have been trapped under debris. A team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the rescue operations.]

68. Which country has declared an ‘Environmental emergency’ after the ship MV Wakashio spilled fuel?

A
Maldives

B
Mauritius

C
Malaysia

D
Sri Lanka

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Mauritius]

Explaination : [Mauritius has recently declared an ‘Environmental emergency’ after the Japanese-owned ship MV Wakashio was found spilling tons of fuel. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth announced the decision as the areas that were declared as ‘very sensitive’ were found as a dark layer in satellite images. The ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel and it had suffered cracks.]

69. The ‘COVAX’ facility that was seen in news recently, is an initiative of which international organisation?

A
World Bank

B
World Health Organization

C
International Monetary Fund

D
World Economic Forum

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [World Health Organization]

Explaination : [The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new initiative named ‘COVAX’, which aims to fast-track the development of vaccine against the coronavirus. The WHO recently announced that it is renewing its invite to countries to join its facility. WHO is also in talks with the manufacturers of the potential vaccines and is gathering funds to promote the mass-production of vaccine.]

70. What is the name of the National Portal launched by the Government of India on Human-Elephant conflict?

A
Saurya

B
Surakhsya

C
Hathi-Sathi

D
Gaja Mitra

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Surakhsya]

Explaination : [The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of Government of India has launched a new national portal called SURAKHSYA. It has been launched for real time data collection on Human Animal conflict. The portal is launched as a part of the World Elephant Day, which is observed every year on 12th August. The portal would be used by policy makers for preparation of Action Plans and Strategies to mitigate conflicts.]

71. The webinar titled “Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs & Memories” has been organised by which Ministry?

A
Ministry of Home Affairs

B
Ministry of Defence

C
Ministry of Tourism

D
Ministry of External Affairs

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Ministry of Tourism]

Explaination : [The Union Ministry of Tourism organised a themed webinar titled “Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs & Memories”, as a part of the “Dekho Apna Desh” webinar series. The webinar has been organised ahead of the 74th Independence Day celebrations. The Cellular Jail is in Andaman and Nicobar Islands where Indian Nationalist who were part of freedom struggle were exiled and imprisoned. The Webinar showcased the journey of India’s independence struggle through the galleries and cells of the Cellular jail. ]

72. When is International Youth Day observed every year?

A
August 10

B
August 11

C
August 12

D
August 13

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [August 12]

Explaination : [International Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th August. The theme of this year’s International Youth Day is, “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. In 1998, a resolution to observe August 12 every year as International Youth Day was passed in the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, which was hosted by the Government of Portugal in cooperation with the United Nations.]

73. A new Data Recovery Centre named KRISHI MEGH belonging to which organization has been launched at Hyderabad?

A
ISRO

B
NABARD

C
ICAR

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [ICAR]

Explaination : [A Data Recovery Centre of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) named KRISHI MEGH has been launched at Hyderabad by the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. The objective of establishing the Recovery Centre is to protect the precious data of ICAR. It is set up at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad. This data center has been set up under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), which is funded by the Government of India and World Bank.]

74. The Defence Ministry has proposed to procure 106 Basic Trainer Aircrafts for Indian Air Force from which aircraft manufacturer?

A
Dassault Aviation

B
Boeing

D
Rafael

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [HAL]

Explaination : [The procurement of 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Indian Air Force has been approved by the Ministry of Defence. The procurement of 106 HTT-40 aircraft from HAL was approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the highest decision-making authority of the Defence Ministry. A total of Defence Acquisition proposals worth over Rs.8500 crore was cleared by the DAC.]

75. What is Ceres, that was referred to in a recent study by the NASA?

A
Asteroid

B
Dwarf Planet

C
Black hole

D
Comet

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Dwarf Planet]

Explaination : [According to a recent data from the NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft, the dwarf planet Ceres, which lies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is not a barren space rock. It was earlier believed that the dwarf planet is barren but the data collected reveal that it is a water-rich place and there could be a large and deep reservoir of salt water. In the year 2015, the Dawn spacecraft arrived at Ceres, which us far smaller than the Earth’s moon.]

76. Which actor has topped the Forbes List of Top 10 highly paid male actors of the world?

A
Will Smith

B
Jackie Chan

C
Akshay Kumar

D
Dwayne Johnson

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Dwayne Johnson]

Explaination : [Dwayne Johnson, also known as the Rock, has topped the Forbes List of Top 10 highly paid male actors of the world. The recently released annual list stated that the actor was paid an estimate of USD 87.5 million in the year 2020. Indian Actor Akshay Kumar was positioned 6th in the list with earnings of USD 48.5 million.]

77. Which Indian state is the top performer in implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Scheme (AMRUT)?

A
West Bengal

B
Gujarat

C
Odisha

D
Maharashtra

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Odisha]

Explaination : [As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Odisha continued to be the top performer in implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Scheme (AMRUT). Odisha has secured first position by scoring 85.67 per cent and provided piped water supply to households of nine cities of the state. Out of the 191 projects started under the AMRUT scheme, the state has completed 148 of them. Odisha is followed by Chandigarh and Telangana. Tamil Nadu has completed the highest number of works.]

78. Which technology company has introduced health monitoring device ‘Halo Band’?

A
Microsoft

B
Apple

C
Google

D
Amazon

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Amazon]

Explaination : [E commerce and technology Major Amazon has launched ‘Halo Band’, thus officially venturing into the health monitoring segment. The wrist band uses AI software to monitor personal wellness parameters. The device is said to have three-dimensional scan feature for measuring body fat and voice detection to evaluate the user’s emotion. ]

79. Which Government scheme has neared 20 lakh subscriptions in the current financial year?

A
Atal Pension Yojana

B
PM Jan Dhan Yojana

C
PM Jan Arogya Yojana

D
PM Fasal Bima Yojana

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Atal Pension Yojana]

Explaination : [The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has reached close to 20 Lakh (2 million) subscribers during the current financial year from April 2020. The total subscriber base under the APY scheme has reached 21 million. The APY scheme was launched in 2015, with an aim to create a universal social security system for all, especially the poor and under-privileged. The scheme is administered by PFRDA through the National Pension System (NPS).]

80. The Draft Health Data Management Policy has been released by which agency?

A
National Health Authority

B
Director General of Health Services

C
Family Welfare Training and Research Centre

D
All India Institute of Medical Science

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [National Health Authority]

Explaination : [The “Draft Health Data Management Policy” of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) has been released by the National Health Authority. The draft policy has been released on the official webpage of NDHM for public comments and suggestions, after which the Health Data Management Policy would be finalized. The NDHM programme was announced by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day speech.]