Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs Aug-2020

Showing 1 - 20 of 222 entries

1. Which Union Minister released e-book on Standard Treatment Guidelines for Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Behavioural Addictions?

A
Dr Harsh Vardhan

B
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

C
Jitendra Singh

D
Amit Shah

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Dr Harsh Vardhan]

Explaination : [Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has released e-book on Standard Treatment Guidelines for the Management of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Behavioural Addictions. The Minister cautioned that the World Drug Report 2020 suggests that COVID-19 will induce disorders in the country. The substance use is associated with non-communicable disorders like cardiovascular, cancer and mental health. He also highlighted that smoking increases the risk for Covid-19.]

2. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan centre of which institution has partnered with CSIR and Vijnana Bharti for promoting rural development?

A
IIT Madras

B
IIT Delhi

C
IIT Kharagpur

D
IIT Guwahati

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [IIT Delhi]

Explaination : [A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan-Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (UBA-IITD) and Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA), New Delhi. The objective of the MoU is to provide joint action in the area of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) for rural development of India. UBA is a flagship program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) by connecting academic institutions with local communities.]

3. Which institution is to launch a new National Clinical Registry of COVID-19 patients?

A
Indian Council of Medical Research

B
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

C
Department of Biotechnology

D
National Institute of Virology

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Indian Council of Medical Research ]

Explaination : [The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is set to roll out a new National Clinical Registry of COVID-19 patients admitted across the county. To launch this comprehensive database, the ICMR has collaborated with the Health Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This database will help to improve treatment in hospitals and will let officials conduct clinical trials and study the effectiveness of new therapies.]

4. Which technology company released the ‘Security Endpoint Threat Report 2019’?

A
Google

B
Microsoft

C
Amazon

D
Apple

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Microsoft]

Explaination : [Major technology company Microsoft has unveiled the latest edition of its Security Endpoint Threat Report 2019. As per the report, India has been placed among the countries with the highest crypto currency mining encounters in the last year. India registered the seventh highest malware encounter rate in the past year and the third highest ransom ware encounter rate across the Asia-Pacific region.]

5. Sonam Tshering Lepcha, who has passed away, was associated with which field?

A
Space

B
Music

C
Politics

D
Business

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Music]

Explaination : [Veteran Folk musician Sonam Tshering Lepcha has recently passed away at Kalimpong, West Bengal at the age of 92. He travelled to various parts of Sikkim and compiled several Indian folk and traditional Lepcha songs. He was also known for his efforts to popularise and represent Lepcha culture. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri award by the Government.]

6. Which day is observed in India, to mark the anniversary of the passage of Law against Triple Talaq?

A
Muslim Women’s Rights Day

B
Abolition of Triple Talaq Day

C
Protection of Women Day

D
Gender Equality Day

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Muslim Women’s Rights Day]

Explaination : [Muslim Women’s Rights Day is being observed on July 31, to commemorate the first anniversary of the passage of law against instant Triple Talaq. On the same day in 2019, the Union Government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act that prohibits the practice of instant divorce. As per the law, any violation of the law is punishable by jail term of up to three years. The Supreme Court of India declared this practice as unconstitutional.]

7. Which country successfully operated Arab world’s first nuclear power reactor?

A
Kuwait

B
United Arab Emirates

C
Qatar

D
Oman

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [United Arab Emirates]

Explaination : [The United Arab Emirates has successfully commenced operation of the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power plant. The Barakah reactor is located in the oil-rich city of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. With the commission, the UAE joins the group of 30 countries that can generate nuclear energy. It is built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corporation. ]

8. MyGov platform has announced a Logo design contest for which government program in August 2020?

A
Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

B
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana

C
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

D
One Nation One Ration Card

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan]

Explaination : [The Government of India has announced a Logo design contest for the flagship initiative ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. The ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Logo Design Contest’ is to be conducted through MyGov platform. As per the notification, the last date of submission of entries is 5th August 2020. The winning logo with the most distinct and creative design will win a cash award of Rs 25000. ]

9. Which zone of the Indian Railways operated the first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train?

A
Central Railway

B
Northern Railway

C
North-Eastern Railway

D
East Coast Railway

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Northern Railway]

Explaination : [Northern Railway operated the first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train from Delhi to Jirania in Tripura. It has 46 wagons and 34 of them were loaded with wheat and the remaining with rice and pulses. Railways is said to have earned more than 94 lakh rupees from this Vyapar Mala Express train. This is an express service which aims to reach its destination in a shorter time, as the train will be monitored on a real-time basis.]

10. Which racing driver has won the British Grand Prix tournament?

A
Michael Schumacher

B
Valtteri Bottas

C
Lewis Hamilton

D
Max Verstappen

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Lewis Hamilton]

Explaination : [British racing driver Lewis Hamilton has recently won the British Grand Prix tournament, to clinch his 87th career victory. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came second and is followed by Charles Leclerc who finished third for Ferrari. Due to a technical glitch, Valtteri Bottas had to come back for a tire change and he could get only 11th spot. Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel was placed 10th. ]

11. Which company has been approved to set up the third Power exchange of India?

A
PTC India

B
REC Ltd

C
Oil India

D
Tata Power

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [PTC India]

Explaination : [PTC India Limited, previously called as Power Trading Corporation of India has been approved to set up the third Power exchange of India. At present, India has two power exchanges namely Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India (PXIL), to enable over-the-counter sale and purchase of power. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved the proposal of PTC India made along with BSE Investments and ICICI Bank.]

12. India has contributed USD 15.46 million to which international Partnership Fund?

A
India-UN Development Partnership Fund

B
India- BIMSTEC Fund

C
G20 Partnership Fund

D
ASEAN Partnership Fund

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [India-UN Development Partnership Fund]

Explaination : [India has recently contributed a sum of USD 15.46 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti handed over it to the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). This UN Office manages the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. In the 15 million fund, USD 6 million goes to the overall fund and the remaining to the Commonwealth countries.]

13. Which Indian bank is set to launch an Artificial-Intelligence powered multilingual voice bot ‘AXAA’?

A
HDFC Bank

B
ICICI Bank

C
Yes Bank

D
Axis Bank

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Axis Bank]

Explaination : [India’s leading private sector bank Axis Bank is set to launch a an Artificial-Intelligence powered multilingual voice bot ‘AXAA’. The bank has entered into a partnership with a Bengaluru start-up Vernacular.ai in this regard. The partnership aims to optimise AI-based voice solutions and automate customer interactions through human-like dialogues. ]

14. Which institute has developed the first ICMR-approved mobile RT-PCR lab?

A
AIIMS

B
IISc Bengaluru

C
IIT- Guwahati

D
IIT- Delhi

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [IISc Bengaluru]

Explaination : [The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has developed the country’s first ICMR-approved mobile RT-PCR lab. Called the MITR (Mobile Infection Testing and Reporting) lab, it is capable of conducting 9000 tests per month. The lab than can produce 100% accurate results within four hours, has been handed over to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). ]

15. Which global organisation has estimated that about 24 million additional children may drop out of school?

A
World Bank

B
World Economic Forum

C
UNESCO

D
International Monetary Fund

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [UNESCO]

Explaination : [The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has estimated that around 24 million children may drop out of their schools next year. UNESCO released a policy brief on the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on education. It also estimated that the educational financing gap is also likely to increase by one third. Girls and young women are likely more vulnerable to child marriage, early pregnancy and gender-based violence.]

16. What is the name of the new interactive centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission, located near Raj Ghat, Delhi?

A
Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra

B
SBM Kendra

C
Swachhata Kranti

D
SBM House

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra]

Explaination : [Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to inaugurate the ‘Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra’, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).It was first announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the year 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji’s Champaran Satyagraha. The Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra complex comprises of audio-visual show explaining the journey of the country in implementing the SBM.]

17. The Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) has extended a USD 250 million worth LoC to which country, to improve its power supply quality?

A
Mozambique

B
Maldives

C
Malaysia

D
Mauritius

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Mozambique]

Explaination : [Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has extended a USD 250-million worth Line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique to improve power supply quality in the country. With the signing of this LoC Agreement, India has so far extended 14 LoCs to Mozambique worth USD 772.44 million. A total of 264 LoCs have been extended to as many as 62 countries across the world around USD 25.98 billion.]

18. What is the corpus of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund that was launched by the Prime Minister?

A
Rs 50000 crore

B
Rs 1 lakh crore

C
Rs 2 lakh crore

D
Rs 5 lakh crore

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Rs 1 lakh crore]

Explaination : [Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally launched the Rs 1 lakh crore worth Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. He also handed over Rs 1000 crore to over 2000 farmer societies through video conferencing. The fund assists farmers, PACS, FPOs and agri-entrepreneurs to build community farming assets and post-harvest infrastructure. The Prime Minister also released Rs 17000 crore as the 6th instalment of PM KISAN.]

19. India signed contract with which country for development of five eco-tourism zones in Addu city?

A
Sri Lanka

B
Bangladesh

C
Maldives

D
Thailand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Maldives]

Explaination : [India and Maldives recently signed a contract for development of five eco-tourism zones in Addu city of Maldives. The development of the eco-tourism zones is a part of the projects being implemented under the High-Impact Community Development project (HICDP) scheme. It involves a total assistance of USD 5.5 million to the Maldives for high-impact assets development. ]

20. IC IMPACTS is an Annual Research conference between India and which country?

A
Cuba

B
Canada

C
Chile

D
Cyprus

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Canada]

Explaination : [IC-IMPACTS is an Annual Research Conference between India and Canada. ‘IMPACTS’ stands for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnership to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability. The conference for the current year was held on 6th August, in a virtual mode. The conference discussed ways of boosting the cooperation between the two countries higher levels by strengthening existing international links, sharing best practices of two countries, and initiating new collaborations.]