Question 1

India, World Bank and representative of how many states sighned an loan agreement for the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)?

Accepted Answer

The World Bank, the Government of India and representatives of 5 States of Government of India and Implementing Agencies signed in New Delhi the Loan Agreement for Additional Financing of $137 Million for the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). This agreement will help rehabilitate and modernize over 220 selected large dams in the States of Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. The $137 Million Loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 3-year grace period, and a final maturity of 16 years.

Question 2

Which of the following act was approved by the President Ram Nath Kovind, recently?

Accepted Answer

President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the amendments to the Indian Stamp Act, 1899,which were introduced in the Parliament as part of the Finance Act 2019. These amendments have been introduced to regularise the system of levying stamp duty and to help in curbing tax evasion. For the stamp duty rates, the duties levied by Maharashtra will be taken as a benchmark as the state accounts for 70% of the total collection. They propose creation of a legal and institutional mechanism which will enable states to collect stamp duty on securities market instruments at one place by one agency(through the Stock Exchanges or Clearing Corporations authorised by the stock exchange or by the Depositories). They also propose a mechanism for appropriate sharing of the stamp duty with relevant state governments on the basis of state of domicile of the buying client.

Question 3

India ranks __________ in the global talent competitive index.

Accepted Answer

India has moved up one position to rank 80th on the global talent competitive index, but remains a laggard among the BRICS nations. Switzerland continues to top the list, released on the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting at Davos by INSEAD business school in partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco Group.

Question 4

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has launched how many GPS stations across the country?

Accepted Answer

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has launched 22 permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) stations across India to identify seismically hazardous zones and encourage mapping activities. The 22 GPS-Geodetic (pertaining to Geodesy, the science of earth measurement) observatories are located in Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Pune, Dehradun, Chennai, Jabalpur, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Raipur, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar Vishakhapatnam, Agartala, Itanagar, Mangan, Jammu, Lucknow, Nagpur, Shillong and Little Andaman. These stations are meant to delineate high strain zones for earthquake probability, determine a seismic motion on faults that may lead to a rupture and produce thematic maps with high positional accuracy. The new 13 stations will be located in Aizawl, Faridabad, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Cooch Behar, Zawar, North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Ranchi, Mangalore, Imphal and Chitradurga.

Question 5

Which government set up a 17-member high-level committee to "reform higher education" in the capital?

Accepted Answer

The Delhi government's Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), a think-tank that advises the government on key issues, has set up a 17-member high-level committee to "reform higher education" in the capital. The committee will be chaired by DDC vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah. The committee will "recommend goals, metrics, policies, and actionable plans for reforming Delhi's higher education system within a year". Nalanda 2.0, a non-profit policy think tank is collaborating with the DDC as the knowledge partner in the initiative.

Question 6

Recently, Reserve Bank of India and __________ have signed a Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA).

Accepted Answer

Reserve Bank of India and Bank of Japan have signed a Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA). The BSA was negotiated between India and Japan during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tokyo in October 2018. The BSA provides for India to access 75 billion US dollars whereas the earlier BSA had provided for 50 billion dollars. The BSA was approved by the Union Cabinet in January. India can access the agreed amount of 75 billion dollars for its domestic currency, for the purpose of maintaining an appropriate level of balance of payments or short-term liquidity.

Question 7

Which among the following abandoned airstrips will be developed into a modern airport by the Indian Government?

Accepted Answer

The Union Government has decided to renovate and develop around 400 abandoned airstrips across the country to strengthen air-connectivity. The first such airstrip to be developed into a modern airport will be Dhalbhumgarh in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

Question 8

The rate of reservationapproved by Union Cabinet for 'economically backward' upper castes in government jobs.

Accepted Answer

The Union Cabinet approved a 10% reservation for 'economically backward' upper castes in government jobs. Ahead of the General Elections this year, the government has announced reservation in jobs for those belonging to the upper castes and earning less than Rs 8 lakh per year. A bill to amend Article 15 and 16 of the constitution will be moved in Parliament to this effect.

Question 9

The 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit was hosted by which of the following country?

Accepted Answer

J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the '4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit' in New Delhi, in the presence of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology and Health Ministers from several countries. The global intergovernmental meeting on digital health is being hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP).

Question 10

According to the Global Nutrition Report, which country topped the index with 46.6 million stunted children?

Accepted Answer

UNICEF representative in India Yasmin Ali Haque lauded the contribution of Poshan Abhiyaan-a scheme by the central government in reduction of stunting, under-nutrition and anaemia in women and adolescents by providing monetary support via direct cash transfers. It was launched in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.Quoting Haque, "Poshan Abhiyaan has got global recognition for its effort to eradicate malnutrition from India. Cash transfer is an additional support to the family income. The Poshan Abhiyaan is a massive step that realises the need for eradicating malnutrition".The latest UNICEF report states that one-third of the population suffers from at least one kind of malnutrition and the number would increase tohalf by 2025.According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, 2015-16, one-fifth of the total population has a BMI less than 18.5, while one-fourth males and half of the total females are anaemic.According to the latest Global Nutrition Report, India accounts for one- third stunting of the global population. India topped the list with 46.6 million stunted children, followed by Nigeria (13.9 million) and Pakistan (10.7 million).

Question 11

As per the latest report of World Steel Association, which is the world's second-largest steel producing country?

Accepted Answer

India has replaced Japan as the world's second-largest steel producing country, only behind China, which is the largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51 per cent of production, as per the latest report by World Steel Association. The other nations in the list of top 10 steel producing countries include the United States, which is at the 4th position as the country produced 86.7 MT of crude steel in 2018, followed by South Korea at the 5th place with 72.5 MT of crude steel, Russia at 6th with 71.7 MT, Germany at 7th with 42.4 MT, Turkey at 8th with 37.3 MT, Brazil at 9th with 34.7 MT and Iran at the 10th position with 25 MT crude steel in 2018.

Question 12

US approved to sell 24 'Romeo' Seahawk helicopters to India for __________.

Accepted Answer

The US has approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 'Romeo' Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of $2.6 billion. The Lockheed Martin-built helicopters are designed for hunting submarines, targeting ships, and conducting search-and-rescue operations at sea. It is considered the world's most advanced maritime helicopter. The helicopters are currently deployed with the US Navy. These helicopters would replenish India's aging fleet of British-made Sea King helicopters.

Question 13

What is the position of India in global gold reserves, as per the data of World Gold Council (WGC)?

Accepted Answer

According to data provided by the World Gold Council (WGC), India has the 11th largest gold reserve and the current holding pegged at 607 tonnes. The Netherlands holds the 10th position with 612.5 tonnes, or just about 5.5 tonnes ahead of RBI. The top spot is occupied by US gold reserves of 8,133.5 tonnes, followed by Germany with 3,369.7 tonnes. International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks third on the list with total gold reserves of 2,814 tonnes.

Question 14

How many Technology Mission Centre was launched by the Union Minister Harsh Vardhan?

Accepted Answer

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launched three important centre's set up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at IIT Madras on 25 January 2019. The first one is the 'DST -IITM Solar Energy Harnessing Centre'. The second centre is the 'DST-IITM Water -IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER'. The third centre is the 'Testbed on Solar thermal desalination solutions'.

Question 15

How much percent of India's energy demand has increased in 2018 according to International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Global Energy & CO2 status report?

Accepted Answer

In accordance with the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Global Energy & CO2 status report, India's energy demand has surpassed the global demand growth in 2018. India's primary demand increased 4% in 2018 in comparison to energy consumption worldwide grew by 2.3%. This accounts for 11 per cent of global demand growth.The growth in India was led by coal for power generation and oil for transport.

Question 16

How many MoUs signed between India and Bolivia including Culture, Mining, Space.

Accepted Answer

President Ram Nath Kovind has been conferred with the highest State honor of Bolivia, "Condor de Los Andes en el Grado de Gran Collar" during his visit to Bolivia. President of Bolivia Evo Morales awarded him the Honour at a function held in Santa Cruz. On the second day of President's three-day visit to Bolivia, India and Bolivia signed eight MoUs in the fields of culture, Visa waiver arrangement for diplomats, exchange between diplomatic academies, mining, space, traditional medicine, establishment of Centre of Excellence in IT and Bi-Oceanic Railway project. India offered a 100 million US Dollar Line of Credit to Bolivia for financing development projects. Both countries also agreed on the need for reform of the UN Security Council to make it reflective of contemporary realities. President is in Bolivia on the 2nd leg of his 3 nation tour. He is on a three-nation visit to Croatia, Bolivia, and Chile.

Question 17

The Union Cabinet Approves MoU between India and Saudi Arabia in the field of;

Accepted Answer

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Apprised about MoU between India and Saudi Arabia for cooperation in the field of Housing.

Question 18

According to World Bank's Migration and Development Brief, Which country tops as the world's top recipient of remittances in 2018?

Accepted Answer

According to World Bank's Migration and Development Brief; with the Indian diaspora sending 79$ billion back to their home country, India retained its position as the world's top recipient of remittances in 2018. India followed by China: 67$ billion, Mexico: 36$ billion; Philippines: 34$ billion and Egypt: 29$ billion.

Question 19

The government of India has formed a committee to examine the electronic tax invoice system of various countries. It consists of how many members?

Accepted Answer

The government of India has formed a 13-member committee having representatives from GST Network (GSTN), central and state governments to examine the electronic tax invoice system of various countries like South Korea, Latin America and suggest a model for India. The introduction of electronic invoices (e-invoices) through the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal which will help the indirect tax system and keep a check on tax evasion. For the e-invoices system, the committee will examine and suggest the target taxpayers and the threshold limit. The committee will look at a centralized system of e-invoices, which will give automatic access to authorities to invoices. It will also discuss whether a system of e-invoices would help in dispensing the requirement of e-way bill or modification of the e-way bill or even combine both the options of e-invoice and e-way bill. The e-invoice system will replace the requirement of the generation of e-way bill for movement of goods. At present, the e-way bill is required for moving goods exceeding Rs. 50,000.

Question 20

This country tops in the list that offers world's cheapest mobile data packs

Accepted Answer

While India (USD 0.26) topped the scale of cheap mobile data, Kyrgyzstan (USD 0.27), Kazakstan (USD 0.49), Ukraine (USD 0.5A) and Rwanda (USD 0.56) completed the top five countries offering the cheapest data packs. Price comparison site Cable.co.uk found that 1 gigabyte (GB) of data cost USD 0.26 in India, compared to USD 6.66 in the UK. The US had one of the most expensive rates, with an average cost of USD 12.37 for the same amount of data. The cheapest mobile data in Western Europe was found in Finland with an average price of USD 1.16 for 1GB of data. In Eastern Europe, Poland is the cheapest at USD 1.32 per GB, followed by Romania (USD 1.89) and Slovenia (USD 2.2A).

National Questions