Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs JAN-2021

Showing 61 - 80 of 300 entries

61. As per Geological Survey of India (GSI), which Indian state could contain Vanadium Deposits?

A
Jharkhand

B
Arunachal Pradesh

C
Odisha

D
Bihar

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [ Arunachal Pradesh]

Explaination : [Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been exploring the state of Arunachal Pradesh and said that it could be India’s prime producer of vanadium. Vanadium is a high-value metal used for strengthening steel and titanium. The Geologists assured that a deposit will be soon identified. It is recovered as a by-product from the slag collected during the processing of vanadiferous magnetite ores.]

62. Which country is set to join as the sixth member of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence network?

A
India

B
Japan

D
Brazil

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Japan]

Explaination : [‘Five Eyes’ is an intelligence network of five nations namely Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US. The collaborative network was formed to respond to the threats posed by North Korea and China. As per media reports, Japan had provided intelligence to the US and the UK on China’s forceful detainment of Muslim Uyghurs, last year.]

63. ‘Adopt a Heritage’ is a scheme implemented by Ministry of Tourism in association with which Union Ministry?

A
Ministry of Culture

B
Ministry of Home Affairs

C
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

D
Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Ministry of Culture]

Explaination : [The Ministry of Tourism implements the “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” project, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Archaeological Survey of India and State/ UTs. It aims to develop tourism amenities at heritage sites located across India to make them tourist friendly. Under the project, 27 MoUs have been signed with several companies and NGOs, also called “Monument Mitras”, to develop the sites under CSR.]

64. India’s first pollinator park has been established in which state?

A
Haryana

B
Uttarakhand

C
Himachal Pradesh

D
Sikkim

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Uttarakhand]

Explaination : [India’s first pollinator park has been established in the city of Nainital, Tamil Nadu. It has been developed by research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. The four-acre-park has over 40 species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and insects. The park aims to create awareness among people about the conservation of these species. It also aims to promote research on threats to habitat and impact of pollution on these species.]

65. Which committee recommended the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)?

A
Raghuram Rajan

B
Urjit Patel

C
Nandan Nilekani

D
Michael Patra

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Nandan Nilekani]

Explaination : [The Reserve Bank of India constituted a High-Level Committee on Deepening of Digital Payments under the Chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani in January 2019. This committee recommended various measures to strengthen digital payment including the idea of National Common Mobility Card. Recently, the Prime Minister launched the NCMC service for the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line.]

66. Which is the first country to approve Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine?

A
Russia

B
China

C
United Kingdom

D
France

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [United Kingdom]

Explaination : [The United Kingdom approved the Covid vaccine developed by AstraZeneca along with the University of Oxford, thereby becoming the first country in the world to do so. The country’s residents are already being administered with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine since the first week of December 2020. The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine, to vaccinate 50 million people.]

67. The Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and which country, on peaceful uses of outer space?

A
Sri Lanka

B
Bhutan

C
Vietnam

D
Thailand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Bhutan]

Explaination : [The Union Cabinet has recently approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU0 between India and Bhutan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. The MoU was signed on November 19 by representatives of both the countries sides at Bangalore as well as Thimpu and exchanged. This will enable cooperation in fields like remote sensing, satellite communication and satellite- based navigation, use of spacecraft and space systems among others.]

68. Estonia, which was seen in the news recently, is a country in which continent?

A
South America

B
Europe

C
Asia

D
Africa

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Europe]

Explaination : [Estonia is a country in Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. Recently the Union Cabinet of India approved the proposal of the Ministry of External Affairs to open three new missions. In 2021, three new missions of India would be opened in Estonia (Europe), Paraguay (South America) and the Dominican Republic (North America). This move would strengthen political relations and promote growth of bilateral trade and investment.]

69. Three 10-metre short span bridges, which were recently inducted, were manufactured by which company?

A
Tata

D
BHEL

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [L&T]

Explaination : [The first three sets of a 10-metre short-span bridge, designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were inducted to the Indian Army. The bridges are manufactured at the Larsen & Toubro facility at Talegaon in Pune. The bridges were developed by the Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), DRDO in Pune. The DRDO has also developed five metre and 15 metre types of the bridge.]

70. Which southern state assembly has passed resolution against Centre’s Farm laws?

A
Kerala

B
Tamil Nadu

C
Andhra Pradesh

D
Telangana

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Kerala]

Explaination : [The Kerala state Assembly has recently passed a resolution urging the Central Government to scrap the recent farm laws. The resolution was passed unanimously with the support of the Opposition party, the United Democratic Front (UDF) also. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the resolution in the House which convened for a special session to discuss on the laws. ]

71. Dzukou Valley, which recorded a massive wild-fire, is located on which border?

A
Manipur-Nagaland

B
Assam-Manipur

C
Manipur-Sikkim

D
Assam-Meghalaya

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Manipur-Nagaland]

Explaination : [A wildfire has recently started in the Dzukou Valley, a popular trekking destination located on the Manipur-Nagaland border. It is said to have started three days ago from the Nagaland. The Indian Air Force has deployed an Mi-17V5 helicopter to put off the massive wildfire in Dzukou Valley.]

72. China has completed a railway line linking the Tibetan cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi, near the border of which Indian state?

A
Sikkim

B
Arunachal Pradesh

C
Meghalaya

D
Manipur

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Arunachal Pradesh]

Explaination : [As per media reports, China has recently completed the track-laying work for a railway line which links the cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi in Tibet. The cities are close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh. This Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second railway into Tibet, which starts from the capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu and enters Tibet.]

73. Michael Kondo, who passed away recently, was associated with which profession?

A
Politician

B
Sportsperson

C
Writer

D
Musician

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Sportsperson]

Explaination : [Michael Kondo, who was a veteran Indian Hockey player, died at the age of 73 recently. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1972. He was a member of the first and only World Cup-winning team in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur. He was also a member of the team that won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where he scored three goals. ]

74. Which organization is to provide a USD 10 million to expand horticulture in Himachal Pradesh?

A
AIIB

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [ADB]

Explaination : [The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on signed a USD 10 million agreement, which aims to finance the projects expanding horticulture production and farm household income in Himachal Pradesh. Some of the pilot activities to be held are rehabilitation of irrigation schemes, developing plots for high-density production of fruits, fencing horticulture plots and forming community horticulture production.]

75. Soma Mondal is the new Chairperson of which Public sector enterprise?

A
SAIL

B
ONGC

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [SAIL]

Explaination : [Soma Mondal has recently taken charge as the new Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Prior to this, she was the Director (Commercial) of the Public Sector enterprise. She replaces the incumbent Chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary Soma Mandal also had served as the Director (Commercial) at another CPSE, the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), before her venture in SAIL.]

76. Sambalpur, where the Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation stone of IIM, is located in which state?

A
West Bengal

B
Odisha

C
Bihar

D
Uttarakhand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Odisha]

Explaination : [Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the permanent campus in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur in Odisha. The institute has been functioning in a makeshift campus for more than five years, since it was launched as a third-generation IIM, in the year 2015-16.]

77. Lal Pahari, where the first hilltop Buddhist monastery of the Gangetic Valley has been found, is in which state?

A
Bihar

B
Uttar Pradesh

C
Jharkhand

D
West Bengal

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Bihar]

Explaination : [The first hill-top Buddhist monastery of the Gangetic Valley has been found at Lal Pahari in Lakhisarai district of Bihar. This is the first monastery located at the top of a hill. This is discovered during a joint collaboration of Bihar Heritage Development Society and the Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal. It was a Vihara, named as Srimaddharmaviharik aryabhiksusanghasya.]

78. Covaxin, which was approved for Emergency Use in India, is developed by which pharma major?

A
Bharat Biotech

B
Serum Institute of India

C
Dr Reddys Labs

D
Biocon

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Bharat Biotech]

Explaination : [The Committee of Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved the vaccines – Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech for emergency use. These vaccines are to be initially administered to 3 crore front line workers for free by the Government of India.]

79. What is the cap imposed on trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats for the year 2021?

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [3%]

Explaination : [India’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the quantum of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021. The cap is further reduced to 2% for 2022. Trans fat are found to increase the risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease. The WHO has called all its members to eliminate trans-fat by 2023.]

80. Prayaas is the new initiative adopted by which PSU in India?

A
NTPC

B
IOCL

C
ONGC

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [IOCL]

Explaination : [Prayaas is the new community helping initiative adopted by Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). Under this scheme, employees of IOCL Delhi Office would visit the night shelters located near IOCL’s fuel stations for distribution of blankets and essentials. These night shelters are being run by the Government of Delhi and some NGOs to help the weaker section of the society.]