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March Current Affairs 2020 Weekly Test -3

Answer – 1) 1.83 Lakh Crore
Explanation:
The Government of India states that Rs 1.83 lakh crore is spent under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, (MNREGA) in 2017-2020 which is nearly double the amount of Rs 92,483 crore spent in 2011-14. As on 9th March 2020, 526.97 lakh families have been provided employment, against 603.81 lakh families seeking employment under the scheme.
MNREGA – enacted on August 25, 2005. It provides legal guarantee of 100 days of employment in every financial year.

Answer – 5) State Bank of India
Explanation:
The Cabinet approved the reconstruction scheme proposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) titled “Yes Bank Ltd. Reconstruction Scheme, 2020” for Yes Bank that will be led by State Bank of India (will hold 45% of stake). Other participants in the plan include HDFC Ltd & ICICI (will hold 6% of stake each), Axis Bank (3-4% of stake), Kotak Mahindra Bank, RK Damani, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and the Azim Premji Trust (around 3% each).

Answer – 1) Prashant Kumar
Explanation:
Government appointed former Chief Financial Officer & deputy Managing Director(MD) of SBI Prashant Kumar as MD & Chief Financial Officer(CEO), the former Punjab National Bank(PNB) MD Sunil Mehta as Non-Executive Chairman, Mahesh Krishnamurthy & Atul Bheda as non-executive directors of the reconstructed board of Yes Bank. State Bank of India (SBI), which has a 49 % stake in Yes Bank, will nominate 2 directors & Reserve Bank could appoint one or more additional directors. The moratorium on Yes Bank to be lifted by March 18 which means depositors will be able to withdraw an amount without a cap.

Answer – 4) Hyderabad
Explanation:
A 4 day (March 12-15) biennial event WINGS INDIA 2020 themed as ‘Flying for All’ is an International Exhibition & Conference on Civil Aviation sector held at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, is organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation & Airports Authority of India(AAI) & Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Answer – 5) 25
Explanation:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised exposure limits for urban cooperative banks (UCBs) of tier-1 capital to a single borrower to 15% and a group of borrowers to 25%. The revised exposure limits shall be applicable to all types of fresh exposures taken by UCBs. The RBI had earlier permitted UCBs to have exposures up to 15% and 40% of their capital funds to a single borrower and a group of borrowers, respectively.

Answer – 3) Bansi Lal Bhat
Explanation:
According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Justice (Retd.) Bansi Lal Bhat has been appointed as the officiating Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) for a period of 3 months with effect from March 15, 2020 or until a regular Chairperson is appointed, whichever is earlier. The first Chairperson of NCLAT, Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya has retired on March 13,2020.

Answer – 2) 75
Explanation:
RBI has revised the priority sector lending (PSL) target for UCBs from 40% to 75% of the adjusted net bank credit (ANBC), or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure (CEOBSE). These norms will also have to be fulfilled by 31 March 2024.

Answer – 3) 10 million
Explanation:
PM Modi has proposed the creation of COVID-19 Emergency Fund through voluntary contributions from all SAARC Nations. This fund can be used by any of the partner countries to meet the cost of immediate actions. India has offered the US $10 million for the fund.

Answer – 3) Flipkart
Explanation:
Flipkart, an E-commerce company based partnered with Aegon Life Insurance to sell comprehensive insurance solutions to customers seeking instant digital policies with an assured sum up to Rs 10 lakh.

Answer – 1) Sharath Kamal
Explanation:
Achanta Sharath Kamal (37), a professional table tennis player from Tamil Nadu (TN) has ended the title wait of a decade by winning the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Challenger Plus Oman Open 2020 men’s singles title by defeating Portugal’s top seed Marcos Freitas with 4-2 scores in the final played at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman.

Answer – 2) Viktor Axelsen
Explanation:
2020 All England Open (officially known as the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2020), was the 112th edition of oldest badminton tournament organized jointly by Badminton England & Badminton World Federation (BWF), held at Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England from March 11 -15, 2020. Viktor Axelsen became the 1st Denmark player to win the All England title for 21 years.
List of Winners:

Answer – 5) Poet
Explanation:
Dr Puthussery Ramachandran a Veteran Malayalam poet, a scholar of Dravidian linguistics and a teacher passed away due to age-related illness at the age of 91 years.

Answer – 3) 10%
Explanation:
The Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari revealed that the number of deaths caused due to road accidents has been reduced by 10% in India after the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019.

Answer – 3) Microsoft India
Explanation:
Microsoft India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation & NASSCOM Foundation, the social arm of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), have jointly launched the ‘Innovate for Accessible India campaign’, a nation-wide innovation challenge aimed at empowering people with disabilities with the new technologies required for better integration into society and access to equal opportunities.

Answer – 3) Bangladesh
Explanation:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken part in the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through video conferencing. Rahman, who is the first President of Bangladesh, was born on March 17, 1920, in Tungipara village in Faridpur district and also referred to as ‘Jatir Pita’.

Answer – 5) Nepal
Explanation:
India assured to provide a grant of Nepalese Rupees(NPR) 107 million (approximately 6.67 crores) to construct 3 schools in Nepal & to create better facilities for students.

Answer – 4) ATK FC
Explanation:
ATK FC (Football Club) won the 6th edition of ISL (Indian Super League) trophy for the year 2019-20 defeating Chennaiyin FC in the final match by 3-1 held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa. This is the 3rd ISL trophy for ATK FC.

Answer – 3) Odisha, Gujarat
Explanation:
According to the Union Minister of State (Independent) for tourism and culture, Prahlad Singh Patel, the central government has included grand Konark Sun Temple, the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage site in Odisha & Statue of Unity in Gujarat in the Iconic Tourist Sites list, taking the total number of such places from 17 to 19.

Answer – 4) Uttar Pradesh
Explanation:
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath has passed the ‘Recovery of Damage to Public Properties Ordinance 2020‘for recovery of losses due to damage to public property during violent protests.

Answer – 1) Philippines
Explanation:
Philippines become the first country to close its financial markets due to the COVID 19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. It resumed its trading on March 19, 2020.  This measure was taken to ensure the safety of their employees and the people they interact with.

Answer – 5) 15 Crore
Explanation:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new guidelines for the payment aggregators (PAs) to provide an ease for payments industry players with effect from April 1, 2020. The guidelines are issued under Section 18 read with Section 10(2) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. RBI has reduced the minimum capital requirements (MCR) for PAs at the time of application for the licence to Rs 15 crore from Rs 100 crore. However, the net worth needs to be increased to Rs 25 crore within three years of operations. Means the PAs who apply for authorisation on 01/04/2020 they need to achieve Rs 25 cr net-worth by March 31, 2023, and thereafter.

Answer – 1) 1,00,000 Crore
Explanation:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opened a six-month dollar sell-buy swap window and will also inject Rs 1,00,000 crore additional Long-Term Repo Operations (LTROs) at the policy repo rate. These measures taken by RBI are to boost liquidity in the foreign exchange market of India and will serve the requirement of U.S. dollars in the market.

Answer – 4) IIT Kanpur
Explanation:
In March 2020, L&T Technology Services (LTTS) signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur) to collaborate on research industrial and infrastructure cybersecurity.

Answer – 2) Iraq
Explanation:
On March 17, 2020, Barham Salih, President of Iraq appoints 54- year- old Adnan al-Zurfi as Prime Minister (PM) of Iraq who has 30 days to form his cabinet in an attempt to resolve a months-long political crisis. He will succeed Mohammed Allawi, the 1st politician named by the president as PM-designate who withdrew his candidacy for the post.

Answer – 5) Singapore
Explanation:
The 7th World Cities Summit (WCS) is to be held from July 5 to 9, 2020 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, in Singapore. It is organized by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.  The theme for WCS 2020 is” Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Adapting to a Disrupted World”.

Answer – 2) Institute of Nano Science and Technology
Explanation:
Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, developed a starch-based ‘hemostat’ material which absorbs excess fluid by concentrating the natural clotting factors in the blood that stops the rapid blood loss.

Answer – 1) Tarun Vijay
Explanation:
The “Invincible – A Tribute to Manohar Parrikar” was authored by Tarun Vijay and released by defence minister Rajnath Singh on 16th March 2020. Recently Union Minister Nitin Gadkari presented the book to President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on the first death anniversary of Manohar Parrikar.

Answer – 3) Whatsapp
Explanation:
Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp launched the “WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub” globally, in partnership with WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). WhatsApp also donated $1 million dollars to Poynter Institute’s International Fast-Checking Network (IFCN) in order to avoid fake information about the disease.

Answer – 1) DBS Bank India
Explanation:
DBS Bank India Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of DBS (Development Bank of Singapore) Bank Ltd, has entered into the partnership with Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd to launch a complimentary insurance for customers of DBS treasures. The plan covers all medical conditions including Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), under which a cover of Rs 5000 per day is available for a period of 30 days if DBS customers are hospitalized for 10 days.

Answer – 4) 10,000 Crores
Explanation:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is all set to infuse ₹10,000 crore liquidity in the banking system by buying government securities through open market operations (OMO) on March 20, 2020. The securities will be purchased through a multi-security auction using the multiple price method with tenor between two and five years. RBI will offer to buy four set of sovereign papers maturing between February 2022 and May 2025.

Answer – 5) All the 1), 2) and 3)
Explanation:
Janani Narayanan from Tamil Nadu (TN) and Vrinda Rathi from Mumbai were named in the International Panel of ICC (International Cricket Council) Development Umpires. After the inclusion of Janani and Vrinda, the count of females from India in ICC panel becomes 3 after the appointment of GS Lakshmi as the International Panel of Match Referees. The women officials across the ICC panel consists of 12 members.

Answer – 3) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Explanation:
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the procurement of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets from HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF), marking a boost to the government’s flagship “Make in India” programme. The proposal will now be sent for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

Answer – 3) Boxer
Explanation:
The former world champion boxer and trainer, Roger Mayweather passed away on 18th March 2020 at the age of 58 due to health-related illness. Roger Mayweather won the world champion boxer title in two weight classes.

Answer – 2) Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
Explanation:
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), a development financial institution in India, engaged in the promotion, financing and development of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), has decided to launch a special train ‘Swavalamban Express’ on June 05, 2020 to empower budding entrepreneurs under its mission Swavalamban.

Answer – 5) ICICI Lombard
Explanation:
ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Lombard, a private sector non-life insurance company has introduced a 1 year long “COVID-19 Protection Cover” at a premium of Rs. 149. Launched in group insurance mode, this policy will pay 100% of the sum insured to the COVID-19 positive individual, irrespective of hospitalization expenses. The age group of 18-75 years is eligible for COVID-19 protection cover.

Answer – 1) Satyarup Siddhanta
Explanation:
Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta hails from Kolkata, West Bengal, 37 years old, entered ‘Limca Book of Records’ (LBR) for his extraordinary achievements, as the first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents. He also holds the record as the youngest mountaineer in the world to climb both 7 peaks and 7 volcanic summits.

Answer – 4) Nirmala Sitharaman
Explanation:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared the formulation of COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force, to be led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Its objective is to tackle the economic challenges arising out of novel coronavirus outbreak. In this regard, Sitharaman held a meeting with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Nitin Gadkari, Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel to assess the situation.

Answer – 4) Nand Kishore Singh
Explanation:
An 8-member committee is set up by Finance Commission (FC) to review the fiscal consolidation road map of state & central governments. The committee is headed by 15th Finance Commission Chairman Nand Kishore Singh.

Answer – 5) Tavleen Singh
Explanation:
A new book entitled ‘Messiah Modi: A Tale of Great Expectations’ written by senior journalist & author Tavleen Singh has been released. The book, published by HarperCollins India, narrates the early support for Modi the candidate by the author, once a great supporter of the government.

Answer – 3) March 20
Explanation:
World Sparrow Day (2020) is observed every year on March 20 and was first celebrated in 2010 initiated by the Nature Forever Society (NFS). This day is celebrated globally to spread awareness about the importance of sparrows and their major functional conservation values. The theme of the World Sparrow Day is I LOVE Sparrows. The theme aims to highlight the love that people have for sparrows. This day is also celebrated to use it as a platform for conserving sparrows and urban biodiversity. House sparrow was declared the state bird of Delhi in 2012.

Answer – 2) Uttarakhand
Explanation:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat celebrated the traditional harvest festival “Phool Dei”. The festival also showcases the inner bonding between the communities who all are residing in the hills.

Answer – 3) Hyderabad
Explanation:
The Begumpet Airport is in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Answer – 1) Maharashtra
Explanation:
Sanjay Gandhi National park is in Maharashtra.

Answer – 4) S.J. Mukhopadhaya
Explanation:
S.J. Mukhopadhaya is the 1st chairperson of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

Answer – 5) Lausanne, Switzerland
Explanation:
The Headquarters of ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) is located at Lausanne, Switzerland.

Answer – 4) Arunachal Pradesh
Explanation:
The Pakke Tiger Reserve is placed at Arunachal Pradesh state.

Answer – 3) Repo
Explanation:
LTRO – Long Term Repo Operations.

Answer – 4) Brussels, Belgium
Explanation:
The Bureau of International Recycling’s (BIR) headquarters is present in Brussels, Belgium.

Answer – 2) Manu Sawhney
Explanation:
Manu Sawhney is the present (and 5th) CEO of International Cricket Council (ICC).

Answer – 1) United States & Morocco
Explanation:
As per the reports, the 2020 US-Morocco joint military exercises “African Lion” will see parts of the training operations taking place in Senegal, Tunisia, and Spain. African Lion is scheduled from March 23 to April 3 for the year 2020 but now the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) have decided to postpone the exercise due to COVID-19 pandemic.