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Questions Based on Current Affairs 16 December 2020
- Which organisation has partnered with University of Manitoba, Canada to release a white paper titled “Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India”?
1) National Development Council
2) Department of Statistics
3) NITI Aayog
4) Indian Council of Medical Research
5) Central Statistics Office
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) NITI Aayog
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020, NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog publicized a white paper titled “Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India” which was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar; Member (Health) Dr Vinod K Paul; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant; and Additional Secretary Dr Rakesh Sarwal. The white paper was co-developed by NITI Aayog and University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. It lays out India’s vision 2035 for public health surveillance through the integration of the three-tiered public health system into Ayushman Bharat.
- What is the theme of the 9th Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS IX) organized by Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and hosted by Sustainable Development Forum Uttaranchal (SDFU), Dehradun on December, 2020?
1) Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Agri-business, Sustainable Tourism
2) Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation & Acceleration
3) Maintaining Unity Maintaining Uniqueness
4) Sustainable Mountain Initiative for Livelihood and Entrepreneurship among Youth (SMILEY)
5) Right to Participation- Combining all the goals for all people to participate
Answer & Explanation
Answer-2) Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation & Acceleration
Explanation:
The 9th Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS IX) organized by Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and hosted by Sustainable Development Forum Uttaranchal (SDFU), Dehradun took place virtually in Dehradun from December 11-14, 2020. The Summit was held on occasion of the United Nations (UN) International Mountain Day 2020. Theme for 2020 SMDS IX – ‘Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation & Acceleration’.
- What is the theme of the year-long FICCI Annual Expo 2020 (FAE 2020), focusing on manufacturing and services sectors that was virtually inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi?
1) Bee Engaged
2) Science and Technology for future India
3) Inspired India
4) Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can save lives
5) Advance Manufacturing with Quality, Innovation & Technology Interventions
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) Inspired India
Explanation:
The FICCI’s (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) Annual Convention & 93rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held virtually amid COVID-19 on the theme “Inspired India” on December 11, 12 & 14, 2020. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on December 12, 2020 and his inaugural address highlighted the success of financial inclusion through the trinity of J-A-M (JanDhan, Aadhar and Mobile). On December 11, 2020 he inaugurated the year-long FICCI Annual Expo 2020 (FAE 2020), a one-of-its-kind virtual event in India focusing on manufacturing and services sectors.
- Which countries virtually participated in the First Trilateral Working Group (TWG) meeting to discuss the joint use of Chabahar port in Iran?
1) India, Iran, China
2) India, China, Afghanistan
3) Pakistan, China, Iran
4) Afghanistan, Russia, India
5) India, Iran, Uzbekistan
Answer & Explanation
Answer-5) India, Iran, Uzbekistan
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020, The First Trilateral Working Group (TWG) meeting was held virtually between India, Iran & Uzbekistan to discuss the joint use of Chabahar port in Iran to increase regional connectivity within the 3 countries. The meeting was jointly chaired by Sanjeev Ranjan, Secretary (Shipping), Government of India, D. Dehkanov, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Shahram Adamnejad, Deputy Transport Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran.
- What will be the change in Global Electricity demand as per the data released by International Energy Agency (IEA) in its 1st Ever ‘Electricity Market Report’ 2020?
1) Increase by 1.8 %
2) Increase by 3 %
3) Fall by 3 %
4) Fall by 2 %
5) Fall by 1.8 %
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Fall by 2 %
Explanation:
According to the 1st Ever ‘Electricity Market Report’ 2020 produced by International Energy Agency (IEA), the Global electricity demand is expected to fall by 2% due to Pandemic. The decline is the biggest annual decline since the mid-20th century. The 2% drop is larger than the drop in electricity demand of 0.6% due to the 2009 Global Financial Crisis. The report has also stated that the global electricity demand will grow by 3 % in 2021 and it will be driven by China and India.
- Which Insurance company has launched a first of its kind, Open Application Programming Interface(API) Gateway to enable full digital collaboration with its business partners on December, 2020?
1) Edelweiss General Insurance Company Limited
2) IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Company Limited
3) Liberty General Insurance Company Limited
4) Royal Sundaram General Insurance Company Limited
5) Bharti Axa General Insurance Company Limited
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) Edelweiss General Insurance Company Limited
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020 Edelweiss General Insurance Company Limited launched a first of its kind, Open Application Programming Interface(API) Gateway to enable full digital collaboration with its business partners. The authorised partners of Edelweiss General Insurance, with this gateway can integrate the available and new products and services in a speed manner with the technology platform of the company.
- Which Bank recently launched its new technology product ‘FX 4 U’ to help its users to handle Forex transactions through Internet Banking?
1) Axis Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) Punjab National Bank
4) Canara Bank
5) Syndicate Bank
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Canara Bank
Explanation:
On December 12, 2020 Canara Bank launched ‘FX 4 U’, a new technology(tech) product. This product helps the users of its Internet Banking(IB) to handle forex transactions. This facility enables all the eligible individual customers to undertake remittance facilities as per the Foreign Exchange Management Act(FEMA), 1999. Once the letter of credit (LC) module is activated, the corporate customers can make and submit LC applications with documents through IB.
- Under which program Ewire Softtech Pvt Ltd in partnership with YES Bank launched ‘EWIRE – YES BANK Prepaid Card’?
1) Digital India Programme
2) Stand Up India Mission
3) Kerala Startup Mission
4) Atmanirbhar Bharat
5) Maharashtra Startup Promotion Program
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) Kerala Startup Mission
Explanation:
On December 11, 2020 Ewire Softtech Pvt Ltd under the Kerala Startup Mission(KSUM) launched ‘EWIRE – YES BANK Prepaid Card’ in partnership with YES bank to establish its presence across the country in its digitisation drive. The co-branded digital card will help the common public and corporate houses with providing loans, insurance and CASA account through its channel partners. This can be done via its dedicated RuPay prepaid cards platform.
- What was India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) in FY21 as projected by Rating agency CRISIL (Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited) on December, 2020?
1) (-)23.9 %
2) (-)14.2 %
3) (-)3 %
4) (-)9 %
5) (-)7.7 %
Answer & Explanation
Answer-5) (-)7.7 %
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020, Rating agency CRISIL (Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited) projected a slower contraction of 7.7% (-7.7%) for India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) in FY21 as compared to the 9% forecast in September 2020. The key reason behind this upward revision is faster-than-expected recovery in the Q2FY21 (July-September 2020). The GDP contracted by 23.9% in Q1FY21 (April-June 2020) period as compared to the year-ago period, with contraction slowing down to 7.5% in Q2FY21. RBI also revised up its estimate to 7.5% contraction from 9.5% GDP contraction in FY21.
- Standard & Poors(S&P) Global Ratings has revised India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) FY21 from (-)9% to ____ on December, 2020.
1) (-)15 %
2) (-)1.6 %
3) (-)7.7 %
4) (-)2.2 %
5) (-)3 %
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) (-)7.7 %
Explanation:
On December 15, 2020 Standard & Poors(S&P) Global Ratings has revised India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) FY21 rate upwards to -7.7%(contract by 7%) from -9% projected earlier on rising demand and falling COVID infection rates. The growth of India will rebound to 10% in FY22.
- Who was appointed as the Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Kotak Mahindra Bank(KMB) for a period of 3 years effective from 1st January 2021 on December, 2020?
1) Dilip Shanghvi
2) Aditya Puri
3) Jay Kotak
4) Uday Kotak
5) Amitabh Chaudhry
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Uday Kotak
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020 Reserve Bank of India(RBI) approved the reappointment of Uday Kotak as Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Kotak Mahindra Bank(KMB) for a period of 3 years effective from 1st January 2021. Uday Kotak is the founder and promoter of KMB. He had served for the past 17 years as the head of KMB. He is currently serving as the president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2020-21.
- Who received Dr R.S. Tolia Memorial Award 2020 by Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) for his efforts in forest conservation in the Indian Himalayan Region?
1) Ajay Rawat
2) Sunita Narain
3) Chandi Prasad Bhatt
4) Vandana Shiva
5) Pradip Krishen
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) Ajay Rawat
Explanation:
Ajay Rawat, Scholar and Environmental Activist was conferred Dr R.S. Tolia Memorial Award 2020 by Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) for his efforts in forest conservation in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). R. S. Tolia Memorial Award is given to recognise the efforts of individuals and organisations who have made impact in the integrating and addressing the issues of mountain communities.
- Who received ‘Earth Lifetime Achievement Award’ in the “2020 Champions of the Earth Awards” announced by United Nations (UN) Environment Programme (UNEP)?
1) Robert D. Bullard
2) Nemonte Nenquimo
3) Fabian Leendertz
4) Yacouba Sawadogo
5) Mindy Lubber
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) Robert D. Bullard
Explanation:On December 11, 2020, the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme (UNEP) virtually announced 6 Individuals as recipients of the 2020 Champions of the Earth Award, which is UN’s highest environmental honour. The award is given across 5 categories – Policy Leadership, Inspiration & Action, Science & Innovation, Entrepreneurial vision & LifeTime Achievement Award.Recipient Category Contribution Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji
Policy Leadership for global climate action work, and commitment to climate-responsive national development Dr Fabian Leendertz, (Germany)
Science & Innovation Discovery in Zoonotics & work in One Health Mindy Lubber (United States of America) Entrepreneurial Vision for commitment to convert capital markets green by mobilizing top investors and companies Nemonte Nenquimo (Ecuador) Inspiration & Action Leadership and unifying work with indigenous communities to halt drilling in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest Yacouba Sawadogo (Burkina Faso)
Inspiration & Action for teaching traditional nature-based solution to farmers for regeneration of soil to turn barren land into arable land in Africa Professor Robert D. Bullard (United States of America) Earth Lifetime Achievement Award For commitment and service to environmental justice - Who was named as Time’s 2020 Athlete of the Year?
1) Donavan Brazier
2) LeBron James
3) Mondo Duplantis
4) Daniel Stahl
5) Noah Lyles
Answer & Explanation
Answer-2) LeBron James
Explanation:
LeBron James, who won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers and formed a coalition to battle voter suppression, was named Time magazine’s 2020 Athlete of the Year. The honour from Time comes days after James was named among Sport Illustrated’s Sportspersons of the Year.
- Who represented India in the virtual Climate Ambition Summit 2020 that was held to demonstrate their commitment to Paris Agreement?
1) Venkaiah Naidu
2) Narendra Modi
3) Ram Nath Kovind
4) Nitin Gadkari
5) Prakash Javadekar
Answer & Explanation
Answer-2) Narendra Modi
Explanation:
On December 12, 2020, the virtual Climate Ambition Summit 2020 was held to provide a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process, from India Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi addressed the summit. It was co-hosted by the United Kingdom (UK), the United Nations (UN) and France, in partnership with Chile and Italy. The date also marked the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. This summit also regarded as a “sprint to Glasgow” as the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) scheduled to take place from 1–12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.
- Which Company built the 2nd ship of Project 17A class of stealth frigates, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Himgiri that was launched by spouse of the chief guest General Bipin Rawat, Smt Madhulika Rawat in Kolkata on December, 2020?
1) Goa Shipyard Limited
2) Hindustan Shipyard Limited
3) Mishra Dhatu Nigam Company
4) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL)
5) Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)
Answer & Explanation
Answer-5) Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)
Explanation:
On December 14, 2020, the 2nd ship of Project 17A class of stealth frigates, namely, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Himgiri, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) was launched at its facility in Kolkata (West Bengal). The chief guest of the launch ceremony was General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) while the INS was launched by spouse of CDS, Smt Madhulika Rawat as a part of the naval traditions. The Project 17A program also called Nilgiri class includes a construction of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE.
- What is the name of Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that was recently commissioned at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco Town, Goa on December, 2020?
1) ICGS Sachet
2) ICGS Vikram
3) ICGS Sujeet
4) ICGS Varad
5) ICGS Sarthak
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) ICGS Sujeet
Explanation:
On 15th December, 2020, Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ‘Sujeet’, which is second in the series of 5 OPVs was commissioned at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco Town, Goa by Raj Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production). The vessel has been designed and built indigenously by GSL. The 1st ship in series – ICGS (ICG Ship) Sachet was commissioned by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May, 2020.
- Which country successfully conducted the 2nd test launch of its Heavy Lift Space Rocket “Angara A5” on December, 2020?
1) Israel
2) Japan
3) USA
4) Russia
5) France
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Russia
Explanation:
On 14th December, 2020, Russia Successfully test launched ‘Angara A5’ – Heavy Lift Space Rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northwest Russia. This is the 2nd successful test flight of the vehicle after 1st successful test flight in 2014. Angara is a new series of space launchers being built by Russia after the collapse of Soviet Union. Angara A5 will replace Proton M Rocket to carry Russia’s heaviest payloads into orbit. The Angara Rocket series is developed & manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre.
- Which Space Agency’s first super heavy-lift Starship Prototype “SN8 rocket” explodes during a return-landing attempt on December, 2020?
1) SpaceX
2) NASA
3) United Launch Alliance
4) Canadian Space Agency
5) JAXA
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) SpaceX
Explanation:
SpaceX’s first super heavy-lift Starship Prototype “SN8 rocket” explodes during a return-landing attempt after it was launched from the company’s rocket facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Elon Musk’s private space company plans to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars through SN8 rockets. Propelled by three of SpaceX’s newly developed Raptor engines the flight reached an altitude of 41,000 feet, But the self-guided rocket blew up as it touched down on a landing pad.
- Which Indian tennis player paired with Georgia’s Ekaterine Gorgodze to win the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Doubles title at the 23rd Al Habtoor Challenge 2020 held at Dubai?
1) Sania Mirza
2) Karman Kaur Thandi
3) Nirupama Sanjeev
4) Riya Bhatia
5) Ankita Raina
Answer & Explanation
Answer-5) Ankita Raina
Explanation:
Indian tennis player Ankita Raina and Georgia’s Ekaterine Gorgodze clinched the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Doubles title at the 23rd Al Habtoor Challenge 2020 held in Dubai by defeating Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (Spain) and Kaja Juvan (Slovakia). This is Ankita Raina’s 3rd Doubles Title of the 2020 season. The al Habtoor Challenge is a hard court event. Ankita Ravinderkrishan Raina hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She is the current Indian No.1 in both women’s singles (WTA Ranking – 180) and Doubles (WTA Ranking – 117).
- Who released the book, ‘The Shaurya Unbound-Tales of Valour of the Central Reserve Police Force’ on the occasion of 19th anniversary of the Parliament attack 2020?
1) Virendra Kumar
2) Om Birla
3) Harivansh Narayan Singh
4) Venkaiah Naidu
5) Narendra Modi
Answer & Explanation
Answer-2) Om Birla
Explanation:
On the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the Parliament attack 2020 (December 13) Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha released a book, ‘The Shaurya Unbound-Tales of Valour of the Central Reserve Police Force’ at the parliament house, New Delhi, India. The book is co-authored by Ms Nitu, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and M. Dhinakaran, DIG CRPF along with their team consisting of Mr Amit, Assistant Commandant CRPF and Inspector Deepak Saxena.
- What profession does late Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Roddam Narasimha belongs to?
1) Journalism
2) Education and Literature
3) Aerospace Science
4) Neuro Science
5) Politics
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) Aerospace Science
Explanation:
On 14th December 2020, the eminent Aerospace scientist, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Roddam Narasimha passed away at the age of 87 at a private hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He was born on 20th July 1933. He authored the book “Developments In Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology” along with former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1987 and Padma Vibhushan in 2013 for science and Engineering.
- Which language late Sahitya Akademi Award winning writer UA Khader’s work belongs to?
1) Tamil
2) Telugu
3) Kannada
4) Malayalam
5) Bihari
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Malayalam
Explanation:
On 12th December, 2020 famous Malayalam writer UA Khader, with 5 decades of dedicated contribution to the Malayalam Literature passed away at the age of 85 due to prolonged respiratory ailments. Khader received the prestigious Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for his most acclaimed work ‘Thrikkottur Peruma’ and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
- When was International tea day annually celebrated?
1) 15th December
2) 12th December
3) 7th December
4) 16th December
5) 3rd December
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) 15th December
Explanation:
International tea day was annually celebrated by the tea growing countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India and Tanzania on 15th December since 2005 to highlight the benefits and importance of tea in everyday life. Aimed to promote and support the actions to implement activities that support the sustainable production and consumption of tea.
- Through which platform 30,000 students will be educated yearly under the recent collaboration between IBM technologies and Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK)?
1) Swayam Prabha
2) Shodhganga
3) Vidwan
4) Open P-TECH
5) e-PG Pathshala
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Open P-TECH
Explanation:
On 14th December, 2020 Technology giant IBM announced collaboration with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to offer free degree and polytechnic courses on emerging technologies to empower 30,000 students yearly through IBM’s free digital education platform “Open P-TECH”.
Courses Offered- Cyber Security, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Cloud computing, Internet of Things, Design Thinking. Focused on Students between 18 and 22 years.
STATIC GK based on Current Affairs
- Who is the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as of December 2020?
1) Nandan Nilekani
2) Sangita Reddy
3) Uday Shankar
4) Vishal Sikka
5) N. S. Raghavan
Answer & Explanation
Answer-3) Uday Shankar
Explanation:
On 4th December, 2020 The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) elected Uday Shankar as its President for the year 2020-21. He will succeed Sangita Reddy.Mr. Shankar is the first person from the media and entertainment industry to lead a national industry chamber like FICCI.
- Which is the capital of Uzbekistan?
1) Tashkent
2) Baku
3) Bishkek
4) Yerevan
5) Tbilisi
Answer & Explanation
Answer-1) Tashkent
Explanation:
Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan. It’s known for its many museums and its mix of modern and Soviet-era architecture.
- Where will the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) take place?
1) London, United Kingdom
2) Rome, Italy
3) Madrid, Spain
4) Glasgow, United Kingdom
5) Berlin, Germany
Answer & Explanation
Answer-4) Glasgow, United Kingdom
Explanation:
This summit also regarded as a “sprint to Glasgow” as the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place from 1–12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. It will be hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy.
- Where is the headquarters of International Energy Agency (IEA) located?
1) Budapest, Hungary
2) Athens, Greece
3) Paris, France
4) Vienna, Austria
5) Prague, Czech Republic
Answer & Explanation
Answer- 3) Paris, France
Explanation:
The headquarters of International Energy Agency (IEA) located at Paris, France.
- Who is the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YES Bank on December, 2020?
1) V. Vaidyanathan
2) Prashant Kumar
3) Chanda Kochhar
4) Aditya Puri
5) Sandeep Bakhshi
Answer & Explanation
Answer-2) Prashant Kumar
Explanation:
Prashant Kumar is the current Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YES Bank on December, 2020.
- Bangladesh began relocating the Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees to _____ on December, 2020.
1) Sonadia Island
2) Hatia Island
3) Ukhiya
4) Bhasan Char Island
5) Ramu Upazila
Answer & Explanation
Answer- 4) Bhasan Char Island
Explanation:
Amid concerns being raised about safety and consent of refugees, Bangladesh has begun moving Rohingya families from refugee camps near Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh to Bhasan Char – an island formed from a build-up of silt in the Bay of Bengal only 20 years ago.