Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs MAY-2021

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1. Which is the first Small Finance Bank formed from a cooperative bank in India?

A
Equitas Small Finance Bank

B
Jana Small Finance Bank

C
Bandhan Small Finance Bank

D
Shivalik Small Finance Bank

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Shivalik Small Finance Bank]

Explaination : [Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd. was granted an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India, for transition into a small finance bank in 2020. It is the first cooperative bank to be converted into a small finance bank, under the transition scheme. Shivalik Small Finance Bank Ltd. has commenced operations as a small finance bank with effect from April 26.]

2. Which institution has proposed that India should provide additional incentives on purchase of EVs, in addition to that provided FAME-II?

A
Niti Aayog

B
GST Council

C
Finance Commission

D
Society of Automobile Manufacturers

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Niti Aayog]

Explaination : [India’s premier Think Tank NITI AAYOG ha stated that the Government of India should provide additional incentives for purchase of Electric Vehicles (EVs), over and above the incentives already provided by under the existing scheme – Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV (FAME-II). Also, the Niti Aayog has stated that the Government should include EVs and associated businesses under Priority Sector Lending (PSL) norms.]

3. Which body approves the appointment of Finance Secretary of India?

A
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

B
Appointments committee of the Cabinet

C
Banks Board Bureau

D
Reserve Bank of India

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Appointments committee of the Cabinet]

Explaination : [The Appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of present Expenditure Secretary TV Somanathan as the Finance Secretary of Government of India. An order by the Personnel Ministry has been issued in this regard. He is a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre.]

4. NATO has launched joint military exercise named DEFENDER-Europe 2021 in which country?

B
Albania

C
Croatia

D
North Macedonia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Albania]

Explaination : [The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has launched joint military exercise named DEFENDER-Europe 2021 in Albania. This is the first such large-scale exercise in the Western Balkan region since the World War II. Thousands of military forces from the United States and other countries will participate in the exercise. DEFENDER-Europe is an annual large-scale U.S. Army-led, multinational exercise.]

5. Chota Char Dham, a famous Hindu pilgrimage circuit, is located in which state?

A
Uttar Pradesh

B
Uttarakhand

C
Bihar

D
Odisha

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Uttarakhand]

Explaination : [The Chota Char Dham is an important Hindu pilgrimage circuit located in the Indian Himalayas, in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand. The circuit consists of four sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The Uttarakhand government has suspended the Char Dham Yatra, which was scheduled to begin in May. Only priests will perform the rituals inside the shrines.]

6. Which organisation releases the ‘Global Electric Vehicle Outlook’ report?

A
NITI Aayog

B
TERI

C
International Energy Agency

D
International Monetary Fund

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [International Energy Agency]

Explaination : [The International Energy Agency releases the Global Electric Vehicle Outlook. As per the new report, the number of electric cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks on roads is expected to hit 145 million by 2030. The report also highlighted that the electric vehicle fleet could increase to 230 million by the end of the decade, if governments speed up their efforts to meet international climate goals. It also said that around three million new electric cars were registered last year, a 41% rise compared to 2019. ]

7. Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays is an honour conferred by which country?

A
China

B
Japan

C
Russia

D
France

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Japan]

Explaination : [79-year-old Bengaluru Teacher Shyamala Ganesh, 79, who has been teaching Japanese language in Karnataka for four decades, received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays of Japan. The order is awarded to those who have made achievements in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, advancements in their field or preservation of the environment. This is the fifth class in the Order of the Rising Sun.]

8. Carnivac-Cov, is the world’s first Covid vaccine for animals, is developed in which country?

A
China

B
Russia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Russia]

Explaination : [Russia had developed and registered the world’s first Covid vaccine for animals named ‘Carnivac-Cov’ in March. Recently, the country has produced the world’s first batch of the vaccine, with 17,000 doses. As per the country’s agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor, the first batch will be supplied to several regions of Russia. Several countries have expressed interest in purchasing the vaccine. ]

9. The Network for Greening the Financial system (NGFS) was launched at which conference?

A
1992 Rio Earth Summit

B
2014 UN Climate Summit

C
2017 Paris One Planet Summit

D
2018 Global Climate Action Summit

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [2017 Paris One Planet Summit]

Explaination : [The Network for Greening the Financial system (NGFS) was launched at the Paris One Planet Summit on December 2017.It is a group of Central banks and supervisors willing to share the best practices and contribute to the development of the environment and climate risk management in the financial sector. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently joined the NGFS Group as a Member.]

10. Which institution has unveiled a collaborative project titled “Sustainable Livelihoods For Tribal Households in India”?

A
APEDA

B
MPEDA

C
TRIFED

D
NABARD

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [TRIFED]

Explaination : [TRIFED is the nodal agency working for the empowerment of tribal people, under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. TRIFED has entered into a collaborative project titled “Sustainable Livelihoods for Tribal Households in India”. The LINK Fund, a foundation which aims to eradicate poverty and mitigate the effects of climate change, is also joining hands with TRIFED for this project.]

11. Which Indian bureaucrat has been conferred with the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star” honour of 2021?

A
N K Singh

B
Nripendra Mishra

C
Atanu Chakraborty

D
K Vijayaraghavan

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Nripendra Mishra]

Explaination : [“Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star” is the second class in the Japanese flagship order. The government of Japan announced the recipients of the 2021 Spring Decorations. Former principal secretary to the prime minister Nripendra Misra is among this year’s awardees. The former IAS officer is recognised for his contributions to strengthen the economic relationship between Japan and India.]

12. What is the tenure of the loans provided by the Centre to the states under ‘Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for CapEx’?

A
10 years

B
25 years

C
50 years

D
100 years

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [50 years]

Explaination : [The Department of Expenditure has issued fresh guidelines on the Scheme of Financial Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure for the financial year 2021-22. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided to the State Governments in the form of 50-year interest free loan. The Finance Ministry has decided to provide an additional amount of up to Rs 15000 crore.]

13. Which space agency’s Mass mission is to explore ‘Aerial scouting’ for better exploration of Mars?

A
China

D
Russia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [USA]

Explaination : [NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter had demonstrated powered, controlled flight on the Red planet. Now, the helicopter is to demonstrate a new activity. The Ingenuity experiment will function in a demonstration phase, after the helicopter completes its next two flights. It will start exploring how aerial scouting and other aerial functions could benefit future exploration of Mars and other regions.]

14. Which company has built the world’s ,biggest airplane ever, named Roc?

A
Boeing

B
Airbus

D
Stratolaunch

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Stratolaunch]

Explaination : [Stratolaunch is an American aerospace company, which has built the biggest airplane ever, named Roc. The aircraft is named after a giant bird of Arabian and Persian mythology. The aircraft has two flights under its belt, with a wingspan of 385 feet and cruised at an altitude of 14,000 feet during the test feet and travelled at a speed of 199 mph during the test flight, which was conducted recently.]

15. Ashleigh Barty, who won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2021, belongs to which country?

B
Canada

C
Spain

D
Australia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Australia]

Explaination : [Australian ace tennis player Ashleigh Barty has won the single title of Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2021 held at Stuttgart (Germany). She became the first Australian to win the tournament’s singles title. She has also won the doubles title immediately after the singles tournament, together with Jennifer Brady of USA.]

16. Which is the first non-Quad country, with which India has announced to establish 2+2 dialogue at the foreign and defence minister level?

A
Russia

B
Sri Lanka

C
Brazil

D
Australia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Russia]

Explaination : [The Government of India has announced the establishment 2+2 dialogue at the foreign and defence minister level between India and Russia. As of now, India has a mechanism of 2+2 partnership only with the USA, Australia and Japan. Russia will now become the first non-Quad country to have this mechanism with India.]

17. What is “MACS 1407”, which is seen in the news recently?

A
Covid vaccine candidate

B
Soybean variety

C
New planet

D
Anti-tank missile

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Soybean variety]

Explaination : [Scientists of Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune in collaboration with Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) have developed a new high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean named MACS 1407. This seed is suited for cultivation in North Eastern states and in states like West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.]

18. Which institution has launched two quick credit delivery schemes named ‘SHWAS and AROG’, to help MSME augmentation?

B
SIDBI

C
SEBI

D
EXIM Bank

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [SIDBI]

Explaination : [Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched two new quick credit delivery schemes to provide funding for production related to supply of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oximeters and essential drugs.These new initiatives would help MSMEs quickly improve their facilities: SHWAS (SIDBI assistance to Healthcare sector in War Against Second wave of COVID19) and AROG (SIDBI Assistance to MSMEs for Recovery & Organic Growth during COVID19 pandemic).]

19. In which country is Arouca Geopark located, in which the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge is built?

A
China

B
Japan

C
Portugal

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Portugal]

Explaination : [The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has been built in Arouca Geopark, an UNESCO recognized site in northern Portugal. The bridge spans to a length of 516 metres and is constructed at a height of 175 metres above the River Paiva. Previously the record was held by Charles Kuonen Bridge in Swiss Alps.]

20. As per OECD, which country stood as the top destination for FDI in 2020?

A
India

B
China

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [China]

Explaination : [The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has reported that FDI globally has plunged to a 15 year low in the year 2020 and has dropped by 38% compared to previous years. Among the nations, China has emerged as the leading FDI destination in 2020 and has overtaken the USA in this regard.]