Question 1

Who won the 'Vimala V Pai Vishwa' Konkani best book award for the year 2018 recently?

Accepted Answer

'Beeg Ani Beegath', a collection of short stories in Konkani by the well-known writer, journalist, and critic H M Pernal bagged the prestigious 'Vimala V Pai Vishwa' Konkani best book award for the year 2018. H M Pernal is the pen name of Henry M Mendonca, a native of Pernal in Udupi district, who currently lives in Mangaluru. Konkani poet Sharathchandra Shenoy from Kochi won the Vishwa Konkani best poetry award for his book 'Idam Na Mama,' while Vishwanath M Shet from Uttara Kannada bagged the Vishwa Konkani lifetime achievement award. Each award carries a purse of Rs one lakh each, a certificate, memento and shawi.

Question 2

Who was honoured as a 'Distinguished Fellow' by IndiaGlobal recently?

Accepted Answer

Veteran actor Anupam Kher was honoured as a 'Distinguished Fellow' by IndiaGlobal - a leading US think-tank that works on issues concerning non-resident Indians. The actor was given a fellowship at the 3rd IndiaGlobal Summit. The event was held at the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston, and was facilitated by MIT Sloan India Business Club.

Question 3

William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer clinched the 2018 Nobel Prize in __________.

Accepted Answer

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2018 to William D. Nordhaus "for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis" and Paul M. Romer "for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis".

Question 4

Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry selects how many people for the Rachana Awards 2018?

Accepted Answer

Rachana - Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry selected 6 eminent people for the Rachana Awards 2018. The award ceremony would take place in at Milagres Jubilee Hall on November 17, 2018 in Mangaluru. The 6 selected awardees are: Aloysius Richard Lobo for Rachana NRI of the Year award, Lawrence Pinto for Rachana Agriculturist of the Year award, Ronald Castelino for Rachana Entrepreneur of the Year award, Faye D'Souza from Mirror now for Rachana Professional of the Year award. Sr Maria Jyothi AC for Rachana Woman of the Year award.

Question 5

Which university has been named as the World's Most Innovative University?

Accepted Answer

Stanford University has been named the World's Most Innovative University for the fourth consecutive year in Reuters' ranking of World's Most Innovative Universities. This list ranks educational institutions based on new technologies they have invented and new markets and industries they have powered. Stanford University is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania.

Question 6

Which among the following won the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award for being the best airport in size and region for the year 2018?

Accepted Answer

The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar won the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award for being the best airport in size and region (2-5 million passengers in Asia-Pacific) for the year 2018. It has been chosen for the award by the Airports Council International. Chandigarh Airport, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore, SM Badaruddin II Airport in Indonesia, SS Kasim II Airport in Indonesia and Yichang Sanxia Airport in China were also chosen for the award. The award is given on the basis of independent survey among passengers on the parameters of security, safety, experience, ambience, ease of availability and cleanliness.

Question 7

This compaby wins $56-million International Arbitration Award, recently.

Accepted Answer

Reliance Power has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance Power Netherlands BV has won an international arbitration award of $56 million (Rs 390 crore) against Prestige Capital Holdings (a Seychelles-based company) and Kokos Jiang. Kokos Jiang is the owner of Sugico Group in Indonesia, from whom Reliance Power had acquired the entire economic interest in three coal mining concessions in Indonesia in 2010.

Question 8

Who has topped the 'Women who Changed the World' list as per the survey of BBC History Magazine?

Accepted Answer

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie was adjudged the most influential woman in history, through a poll conducted by BBC History Magazine. Marie Curie has topped the 'Women who Changed the World' list followed byRosa Parks (US civil rights activist), Emmeline Pankhurst (leader of the British suffragette movement), Emmeline Pankhurst (leader of the British suffragette movement).

Question 9

2018 Nobel Medicine or Physiology Prize has been awarded to whom of the following persons?

Accepted Answer

The Nobel Medicine or Physiology Prize has been awarded to James P Allison and Tasaku Honjo "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation". This is for the first time that no Literature Prize will be given in 70 years because of a #MeToo scandal. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Question 10

Who topped the Asian Rich List 2019 with Rs 2.3 lakh crore?

Accepted Answer

Leading London-based NRI industrial tycoons, the Hinduja family has topped the Asian Rich List 2019 for the sixth successive year with £25.2 billion (over Rs 2.3 lakh crore) wealth. Steel magnates Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya Mittal were ranked second with £11.2 billion (over Rs 1 lakh crore) wealth. Petrochemicals billionaire SP Lohia was ranked third with £5.8 billion (over Rs 53,000 crore) wealth.

Question 11

Which of the following network was conferred with the Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019?

Accepted Answer

All India Radio and the Publication Division and Children's Film Society of India were awarded with the Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019. Director General of All India Radio, F. Sheheryar and Director General (News), Ira Joshi received the Award for All India Radio.

Question 12

Which Airport has been selected for the Champion of Earth Prize-2018?

Accepted Answer

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has been selected for the Champion of Earth Prize-2018. It is the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. CIAL will be given the award in on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly ceremony in New York on September 26. Cochin Airport a first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy. It will give 60 million units per annum power and save Rs 40 crore per annum of the airport.

Question 13

Who has been conferred with the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2018?

Accepted Answer

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015, 16, 17 and 18 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The award comprises a cash award of one crore rupees, a citation in a scroll, a plaque and a traditional handicraft item. Japan's Yohei Sasakawa was conferred with the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world. For 2015: Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari was given the award for its contribution in Rural Development, Education and Development of natural resources. For 2016: Jointly to Akshaya Patra Foundation for its contribution in providing mid-day meals to millions of children across India and Sulabh International for its contribution in improving the condition of sanitation in India and emancipation of manual scavengers. And For 2017: Ekal Abhiyan Trust for its contribution in providing Education for Rural and Tribal Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gender, and Social Equality.

Question 14

This country won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award, 2018.

Accepted Answer

Two initiatives of India won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award, 2018, at its Annual General Members Meet, in Georgetown, Guyana. The initiative named "Unnayan Banka" - Reinventing Education Using Technology, of Banka District of Bihar was awarded under the Category "Innovation Incubation". Another initiative named "Unified Agriculture Markets" of Co-operation Department of Karnataka was selected under the Category 'Innovation in Public Service Management'. This initiative also won the overall Gold Award for CAPAM Awards, 2018. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is an institutional member of CAPAM.

Question 15

UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov reported this as India's most Patriotic Brand.

Accepted Answer

Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is considered to be the most patriotic brand, according to a survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov, followed by Tata Motors, Patanjali, Reliance Jio and BSNL. Around 16% respondents ranked SBI to be the most patriotic brand overall, followed by Tata Motors and Patanjali with 8% each, and Reliance Jio and BSNL with 6% each. The survey, which covered 152 brands across 11 categories, is based on data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1,193 respondents in the country using its panel of an online representation of India.

Question 16

Which centre won an award for Outstanding Contribution to Gold Policy Research in 2017-18 at the 15th India International Gold Convention held in Kochi?

Accepted Answer

The India Gold Policy Centre (IGPC), IIM Ahmedabad won an award for Outstanding Contribution to Gold Policy Research in 2017-18 at the 15th India International Gold Convention held in Kochi. The award was received by Professor Arvind Sahay, Chairman of IGPC, along with his team. The convention was held at Le Meridien Convention Centre. Around 400 delegates participated.

Question 17

Who is the recipient of K.Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2018?

Accepted Answer

P.S. Krishnan, former Secretary to Government of India (GoI), has been conferred prestigious K. Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2018 for his works in the field of social justice for SCs, STs, BCs for the last more than six-and-half decades. The Periyar International Inc., a Chicago-based voluntary organisation, gives an annual award for outstanding contributions to Social Justice at a function in New Delhi.

Question 18

Who won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize recently?

Accepted Answer

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict". Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending the victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others.

Question 19

Which app wins the National e-Governance Award 2019?

Accepted Answer

Railway's ticket booking mobile application - IRCTC Rail Connect mobile app and the Chhattisgarh government's 'Khanij online' and 14 other such IT projects have been chosen for National e-Governance Awards 2019. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Rail Connect mobile app, launched in January 2017, has been chosen for the special jury award for excellence in government process re-engineering for digital transformation. Railways collected revenue of over Rs 5,800 crore in 2018-19 (till December) through the App. National e-Governance Awards will be presented by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh.

Question 20

Name the organisation which won the 2018 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development.

Accepted Answer

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi (India)-based independent research and advocacy think tank, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2018. CSE has been awarded for "its pioneering work over almost four decades in environmental education and protection, for its steadfast advocacy of measures to combat environmental deterioration, for its success in influencing public policies and programmes that have benefitted social and economic development in India, and for keeping the issue of environmental sustainability at the forefront of national attention and public policy.

Awards and Honours Questions