Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs MAY-2021

Showing 121 - 140 of 400 entries

121. Crimson Solar Project, is a mega solar energy project, is to be set up in which country?

B
Russia

C
Germany

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [USA]

Explaination : [The USA Government has approved a major solar energy project in the California desert that would be capable of powering nearly 90,000 homes. The USD-550 million Crimson Solar Project will be set up on 2,000 acres of federal land at California. It is being developed by Canadian Solar unit Recurrent Energy. This step aims to fight climate change, create jobs and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.]

122. Which country has proposed a sale of P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India?

A
Italy

B
Russia

D
France

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [USA]

Explaination : [The United States of America has approved the sale of six number of additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India. The estimated value of the sale is $2.42 billion. Presently, Indian Navy has deployed 12 P 81 aircrafts. The induction of 6 more air crafts to the Navy would enhance its operational and surveillance capabilities.]

123. Nehru Zoological Park, where Asiatic Lions were tested Covid positive, is situated in which state/UT?

A
Karnataka

B
Gujarat

C
Telangana

D
Kerala

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Telangana]

Explaination : [Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park have tested positive for Covid-19. This is the first case of lions or any other animals testing positive for the coronavirus infection in an Indian zoo. The samples were tested by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the RT-PCR tests turned out to be positive for Covid-19. However, there is no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans.]

124. Which organization has released the “Estimates of Global E Commerce Report 2019”?

C
UNCTAD

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [UNCTAD]

Explaination : [The “Estimates of Global E Commerce Report 2019” has been released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland. The report has noted that, due to COVID restrictions, there was a dramatic rise in in e-commerce and online retail sales. The report further stated that The United States, followed by Japan and China, continues to dominate the overall e-commerce market in the globe.]

125. What is the name given to the condition of extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, capable of creating flood condition?

A
Snowsquall

B
Cloudburst

C
Tornado

D
Mudflow

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Cloudburst]

Explaination : [A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, which is capable of creating flood condition. It is sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder. Several shops and houses are buried under the debris after the cloud burst incident in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli. State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) is undertaking relief work in the affected regions.]

126. As per the recent research, which country accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the world’s developed nations combined?

B
China

C
Russia

D
India

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [China]

Explaination : [China accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the world’s developed nations combined, according to new research from New York-based climate research group-Rhodium Group. China’s emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, rose to 14.09 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2019. This is higher than the total of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members by about 30 million tons.]

127. What is the name of the blood disorder, which involves lesser haemoglobin and red blood cells?

A
Anaemia

B
Thalassemia

C
Leukaemia

D
Haemophilia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Thalassemia]

Explaination : [Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by less oxygen-carrying protein- haemoglobin and less red blood cells in the body than normal. May 8 is observed as World Thalassemia Day every year. The day commemorates the struggles of the patients suffering from this genetic disorder.]

128. RBI is set to conduct a special long-term repo operation (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore for which type of banks?

A
Cooperative Banks

B
Regional Rural Banks

C
Small Finance Banks

D
Payment Banks

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Small Finance Banks]

Explaination : [The Reserve Bank is to conduct the first auction for special long-term repo operations (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore for Small Finance Banks (SFBs), at the repo rate, one auction each month. This will provide fresh lending of up to Rs 10 lakh per borrower and will support small business units, micro and small industries, and other unorganised sector entities. The facility will be available till October 31, 2021.]

129. What is ‘California condor’, which was seen in the news recently?

A
Museum

B
Art Form

C
Bird Species

D
Cryptocurrency

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Bird Species]

Explaination : [The California condor is a vulture species belonging to ‘New World’ vulture species. It is the largest North American land bird. The bird is said to have become extinct in the wild in 1987. Recently, a flock of over 15 endangered California condors has reportedly descended on a house in the city of Tehachapi in California. There are believed to be fewer than 500 such condors in the US, and as many as 160 are recorded in California.]

130. What is ‘Atman AI’, which was making news recently?

A
Tool to book vaccine slots

B
Tool to detect Covid-19

C
Tele-medicine Tool

D
Heath care Robot

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Tool to detect Covid-19]

Explaination : [Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) have created an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to detect Covid-19 from chest X-rays. The diagnostic tool named Atman AI is used for Chest X-ray screening and has shown an accuracy rate of 96.73 per cent. It can be used to rapidly diagnose and effectively treat COVID-19 patients.]

131. Who is the head of the advisory group for the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), set up by the RBI?

A
Arundhati Bhattacharya

B
S Janakiraman

C
Rajnish Kumar

D
R Gandhi

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [S Janakiraman]

Explaination : [The Reserve Bank of India has formed an advisory group for assisting the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0). The Regulatory Review Authority was constituted by the RBI to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of entities under its regulatory purview. The advisory group is headed by S Janakiraman – Managing Director of the State Bank of India.]

132. As per the recent guidelines of the RBI, what is the tenure for which the financial entities must appoint Statutory Auditors?

A
One year

B
Two years

C
Three years

D
Five years

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Three years]

Explaination : [The Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for appointment of statutory auditors of Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs), UCBs and NBFCs (including HFCs). Banks and UCBs will be required to take prior approval of RBI for appointment/reappointment of SCAs/SAs, on an annual basis. Entities will have to appoint the SCAs/SAs for a continuous period of three years, subject to their satisfying the eligibility norms. This will protect the independence of the auditors.]

133. Which state has been permitted by the Civil Aviation Ministry to use drones for experimental delivery of vaccines?

A
Kerala

B
Karnataka

C
Telangana

D
Andhra Pradesh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Telangana]

Explaination : [The Civil Aviation Ministry has permitted the Telangana government to use drones for experimental delivery of vaccines. This exemption will be valid for a period of one year or until further orders. In the month of April, the Ministry had permitted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct a feasibility study on using drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccine.]

134. Lag B’Omer is an annual religious holiday celebrated in which country?

A
Italy

B
Israel

C
France

D
Spain

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Israel]

Explaination : [Lag B’Omer, an annual religious holiday celebrated with all-night bonfires, prayer and dancing, at Mount Meron, Northern Israel. Recently, around 40 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a stampede that broke out during the religious gathering attended by tens of thousands of people. Mount Meron is considered to be one of the holiest sites in the Jewish world.]

135. Which institution approves the emergency use of vaccines around the world, using the Emergency Use Listing (EUL)?

C
UNICEF

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [WHO]

Explaination : [The World Health Organisation, through its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure, allows countries to use their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine. It also enables UNICEF and Health Organizations to procure the vaccine for distribution to needy countries. WHO has recently given the approval for emergency use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.]

136. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal in the atmosphere of which planet?

A
Mars

B
Venus

C
Earth

D
Jupiter

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Venus]

Explaination : [NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal, while flying through the upper atmosphere of Venus. This was the first direct measurement of the atmosphere of Venus in nearly 30 years. This recent glimpse looks very different from the past portrayal of the planet. The upper atmosphere of Venus undergoes a lot of changes and hence is different from the Earth.]

137. India is set to sign an MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership with which country?

A
UK and Northern Ireland

C
Russia

D
Brazil

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [UK and Northern Ireland]

Explaination : [The Union Cabinet, which is chaired by the Prime Minister has approved for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India, UK and Northern Ireland, on Migration and Mobility Partnership. The MoU is aimed to liberalize visa related procedures and promote mobility of students, researchers and skilled professionals among these nations.]

138. Genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in which country?

A
China

C
Japan

D
China

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [USA]

Explaination : [In a first of its kind, genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the USA by a biotech firm Oxitec. The mosquitoes have been released with an aim to suppress the disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. Previously, the company released its modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Malaysia, it is reported that the local A. aegypti mosquito populations fell by at least 90%.]

139. The Supreme Court has recently struck down the Housing Industry Regulation Act (HIRA) of which state, as unconstitutional?

A
Kerala

B
West Bengal

C
Odisha

D
Tamil Nadu

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [West Bengal]

Explaination : [The Supreme Court has struck down West Bengal’s Housing Industry Regulation Act (HIRA) 2017, saying it was ‘unconstitutional’ as it is in direct conflict with the Centre’s Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA). As per the verdict, Sections 88 and 89 of the RERA did not implicitly permit the states to create their own legislation creating a parallel regime.]

140. Which country’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the ‘New Climate Normals’?

B
Russia

C
China

D
France

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [USA]

Explaination : [The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the new climate normal. The data reveal that weather across the US is getting warmer. NOAA releases the climate normals every 10 years and they reflect the data from the past 30 years. The recently released data set comprises of the average temperature, precipitation and rainfall from 1991 to 2020.]