GK Current Affairs Quiz 02nd January with Questions and Answers: General Knowledge section of Versionweekly aims to help every competitive exam aspirant to revise the day at ease.
GK Current Affairs Quiz 31st December 2019
Q. A research study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. What percent of chances are low of being overweight for children who drink whole milk?
(a) 50%
(b) 60%
(c) 40%
(d) 70%
(e) 30%
Answer
Answer: (c) 40%
Explanation: A research study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers have found that children who drink whole milk may have 40 per cent lower odds of being overweight or obese compared to those who consume reduced-fat milk.
The researchers analysed 28 studies involving almost 21,000 children between one and 18 years of age.
Q. SBI announced a reduction in its external benchmark-based rate by 25 basis points to how much percent?
(a) 7.80%
(b) 8.05%
(c) 6.54%
(d) 8.90%
(e) 7.34%
Answer
Answer: (a) 7.80%
Explanation: SBI announced a reduction in its external benchmark-based rate by 25 basis points to 7.80% from 8.05%.
The Reserve Bank of India has adopted the Repo rate to be the External Benchmark rate.
Repo rate is the interest rate, at which the RBI lends funds to the banks.
The new rates will be applicable from January 1, 2020.
Q. Stephen Marandi took oath as the Protem Speaker for the 5th ________ Assembly on 31 Dec 2019.
(a) Jharkhand
(b) Odisha
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Maharashtra
(e) None of these
Answer
Answer: (a) Jharkhand
Explanation: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha senior leader Stephen Marandi took oath as the Protem Speaker for the 5th Jharkhand Assembly on 31 Dec 2019.
Governor Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Marandi.
Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi will administer the oath of office and secrecy to all newly elected legislators on the first day of the new state assembly session scheduled from 6th to 8th January 2020.
Q. Who has been appointed as India’s new Army chief?
(a) Manoj Mukund Naravane
(b) Anil Kumar Sood
(c) Devesh Chandra
(d) SS Chandrashekhar
Answer
Answer: (a) Manoj Mukund Naravane
Explanation:Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Narwane, the Deputy Chief of the Indian Army, has become the next Chief of the Indian Army. He has replaced Bipin Rawat. Naravane was commissioned in Sikh Light Infantry Regiment on June 1980.
Q. Which city has been adjudged as the cleanest for the 4th time in the latest cleanliness survey of the union government?
(a) Indore
(b) Bhopal
(c) Surat
(d) Rajkot
Answer
Answer: (a) Indore
Explanation:Indore was adjudged as the cleanest city in India for the fourth time in a row in the cleanliness survey released by the Union Government on December 31, 2019. While Bhopal stood second in first quarter results, Rajkot was ranked second in the second quarter results.
Q. Which state has become the first to pass an anti-CAA resolution?
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Kerala
(d) Gujarat
Answer
Answer: (c) Kerala
Explanation:Kerala has become the first state in India to pass a resolution demanding scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The anti-CAA resolution was moved in the state assembly by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and it was passed with unanimous support.
Q. Who was sworn in as the deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra?
(a) Aditya Thackeray
(b) Nawab Malik
(c) Ajit Pawar
(d) Ashok Chavan
Answer
Answer: (c) Ajit Pawar
Explanation:NCP’s Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra during the cabinet expansion on December 30, 2019. Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray was also sworn in as a cabinet minister along with 34 MLAs.
Q. Which state secured first position in the recently released ‘India State of Forest Report 2019’ for the highest growth in forest area in the country?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Jharkhand
(c) Karnataka
(d) Andhra Pradesh
Answer
Answer: (c) Karnataka
Explanation:The ‘India State of Forest Report 2019’ ranked Karnataka (1,025 km), Andhra Pradesh (990 km) and Kerala (823 km) as the top three states with the highest growth in forest area.
Q. The Taliban council agreed for a temporary ceasefire in which nation?
(a) USA
(b) Afghanistan
(c) Iran
(d) Lebanon
Answer
Answer: (b) Afghanistan
Explanation:US President’s visit to Afghanistan played a positive role in peace talks as Taliban council agreed for a temporary ceasefire in the country. There are currently about 13,000 U.S. forces as well as thousands of other NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Q. What web portal has been launched for Delhi-NCR residents to track or block their lost/stolen phones?
(a) Central Equipment Identity Register
(b) Find Your Phone Here
(c) National Cellular Finding Service
(d) Capital Mobile Tracing Portal
Answer
Answer: (a) Central Equipment Identity Register
Explanation:The central government has launched a web portal, ‘Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)’, to facilitate blocking and tracing of stolen/lost mobile phones in Delhi. The web portal was first launched in Mumbai this year.
Q. The deadline for linking pan card with Aadhaar has been extended till when?
(a) February 2020
(b) March 2020
(c) September 2020
(d) December 2020
Answer
Answer: (b) March 2020
Explanation:The deadline to link PAN card with Aadhaar has been extended till March 2020. The Income Tax Department had earlier announced December 31 as the final deadline.
Q. Which city secured the first place in the results of Swachh Survekshan League 2020, for first and second Quarters?
(a) Bhopal
(b) Surat
(c) Agra
(d) Indore
(e) Kochi
Answer
Answer: (d) Indore
Explanation: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri announced the results of Swachh Survekshan League 2020, for first and second Quarters in New Delhi on 31 Dec 2019.
In the 10 lakh plus population category, Indore secured first place in both the quarters.
Madhya Pradesh Capital Bhopal got the second and Surat in Gujarat third spot in first Quarter.
Q. In December 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled infrastructure projects worth 102 lakh crore rupees. In next how many years will these projects be implemented?
(a) 3
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 6
(e) 7
Answer
Answer: (c) 5
Explanation: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled infrastructure projects worth 102 lakh crore rupees.
These will be implemented in the next five years as a part of the government’s spending push to the infrastructure sector.
The Finance Minister informed this while releasing the Report of the Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline, NIP for 2019-2025, on 31 Dec 2019.
Q. How many foreign satellites were launched on a commercial basis during the year 2019 by ISRO?
(a) 35
(b) 40
(c) 45
(d) 50
(e) 55
Answer
Answer: (d) 50
Explanation: ISRO has successfully accomplished 13 missions including 6 launch vehicle missions and satellite missions during the year 2019.
Besides, 50 foreign satellites from seven countries were launched on a commercial basis during this period.
PSLV-C44 successfully launched Microsat-R and Kalamsat-V2 in January 2019 from Sriharikota.
Q. In 2019, the total area sown under Rabi crops stands at over how many lakh hectares?
(a) 456
(b) 514
(c) 571
(d) 589
(e) 613
Answer
Answer: (c) 571
Explanation: Rabi crops sowing area increased by around 36 lakh hectares as on 27 Dec 2019.
The total area sown under Rabi crops stands at over 571 lakh hectares as compared to 536 lakh hectare for the corresponding period of 2018.
The progress in Rabi sowing has picked up significantly with the improvement of soil moisture in almost all Rabi growing states.
Wheat has been sown in over 297 lakh hectare.
Q. Read the following statements carefully:
1.Over one crore FASTags have been issued for the vehicles with more than one lakh being issued every day.
2.FASTag provides a smooth journey to commuters who pass through toll plazas on National Highways.
3.The Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag was implemented from 15 Dec 2019.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 1 and 2
(c) Only 1 and 3
(d) Only 2 and 3
(e) All are correct
Answer
Answer: (e) All are correct
Explanation: Over one crore FASTags have been issued for the vehicles with more than one lakh being issued every day.
FASTag provides a smooth journey to commuters who pass through toll plazas on National Highways.
The Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag was implemented from 15 Dec 2019.
To simplify the recharge of FASTag, the government has recently included BHIM (UPI) App payment mechanism.
Daily Current Affairs – National News
CACS & e-BCAS launched to enhance security & ease of doing at airports
- Minister of State (I/C) for Civil Aviation launched the Biometric enabled Centralised Access Control System (CACS) and ‘e-BCAS Project Training Module’. The two projects aims to enhance security and ease of doing business at airports.
- The CACS project is aimed to digitize the employee movement process at the airports. This multi-layered security system encompasses the uniqueness of the Airport Entry Permit (AEP) users, biometric authentication in addition to PIN-based identity verification through contactless smart card technology.
- The ‘e-BCAS’ project envisaged to achieve a “paperless office” under e-Governance initiative of Government of India. The ‘e-BCAS Project: Training Module’ aims to switch from manual process of training to digital platform.
- The objective of the e-BCAS project is to make all the activities in the BCAS transparent, user-friendly, and efficient. It also intends to provide an ease of doing business with the stakeholders.
11-day long ‘Dhanu Jatra’ begins in Odisha
- The 11-day long ‘Dhanu Jatra’ begins at Bargarh in western Odisha. Dhanu Jatra is considered as the largest open-air theatre of the world.
- It is based on the mythological story of Lord Krishna and his demon uncle King Kansa. It is about the episode of Krishna and Balaram’s visit to Mathura to witness the Dhanu ceremony organized by their (maternal) uncle King Kansa.
- Dhanu Jatra is the annual drama-based open-air theatrical performance celebrated in and around Bargarh city. The annual festival came into being in 1947-48 to celebrate Indian’s Independence and to symbolize the victory of good over evil.
Daily Current Affairs – Banking and Economy News
No extra charge on digital payments via RuPay & UPI from 1st Jan 2020
- The Union Finance Minister has announced that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges for businesses with over Rs 50 crore annual revenues will be waived off from January 1, 2020.
- Also, the digital transactions made using RuPay credit cards, or UPI QR codes will not face any additional charges for merchants or customers from January 1, 2020.
- All shops, business establishments and companies with an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore or more have been mandated to offer these modes of payment to customers.
- The Department of Revenue will also notify RuPay and UPI as the prescribed mode of payment for digital transactions without any Merchant Discount Rate (MDR).
- The Merchant Discount Rate is the percentage of the digital transaction that a merchant pays to banks. This cost is often passed on to the customer. The decision aims to promote the home-grown digital payment pathways like RuPay and UPI, over those promoted by foreign companies, including VISA and MasterCard.
CBIC paid Rs 1,12,000 crore as IGST refunds to exporters
- Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has announced that it has paid Rs 1,12,000 crore as Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) refunds to exporters.
- According to CBIC, over 83,000 exporters have been benefited by these refunds. The numbers indicated the government’s efforts to fast track refunds under GST especially to exporters. Also, as of now, refunds of only 3,604 crores are pending with Customs.
- CBIC is using data analytics to identify risky exporter entities that “take input tax credit fraudulently and monetize it by paying IGST and taking refund”. Such exporters are being subject to KYC and verification process before the grant of refund.
GoM constituted to expedite revival plan of BSNL & MTNL
- A Group of Ministers (GoM) has been constituted to to expedite revival plan of BSNL & MTNL. The GoM will fast-track and oversee the implementation of the Rs 69,000 crore revival plan for state-owned telecom corporations BSNL and MTNL.
- The GoM includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
- The government had approved a Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL which includes merger of the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees. The GoM will expedite the smooth implementation of decisions taken on revival of BSNL and MTNL.
Daily Current Affairs – Ranks and Reports
“India State of Forest Report 2019” released
- The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the biennial “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)”, in New Delhi.
- The report provides information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock inside and outside the forest areas, carbon stock in India’s forests, Forest Types and Biodiversity, Forest Fire monitoring and forest cover in different slopes & altitudes.
- The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). The FSI has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country including wall-to-wall forest cover mapping in a biennial cycle.
- This is the 16th edition of India State of Forest Report. In comparison to the assessment of 2017, there is an increase of 5,188 sq. km in the total forest and tree cover of the country.
Some key highlights of the report:
- The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare. It is 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country.
- The forest and tree cover has increased by more than 130 million hectares in the last 4 years.
- Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country.
- In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya (76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland (75.31%).
- In comparison with ISFR 2017, the increase in the forest cover has been observed as 3,976 sq km and that in tree cover is 1,212 sq. km.
- The top 3 states showing increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq. km) followed by Andhra Pradesh (990 sq km) and Kerala (823 sq km).
- Mangrove cover has been separately reported in the ISFR 2019 and the total mangrove cover in the country is 4,975 sq km which showed an increase of 54 sq Km as comapre to that of 2017. Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujarat (37 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (16 sq km) and Odisha (8 sq km).
- The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has been estimated 16 million hectare showing an increase of 0.32 million hectare.
- The total carbon stock in country’s forest is estimated 7,124.6 million tonnes and there an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment of 2017.
- There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.8% of the area within the Recorded Forest Area (RFA)/Green Wash (GW) of the country.
Daily Current Affairs – Sports News
Sarbananda Sonowal launches torch relay of Khelo India Youth Games
- Assam Chief Minister has launched the torch relay of the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati, Assam. The 3rd edition of the tournament will be held in January 2020.
- Athletes from all over the country will be coming to Guwahati for the Khelo India Youth Games. The officials of the competition are preparing a total of eight venues for the tournament to make the Games one of the largest sporting spectacles of the country.
IOA ends boycott call for 2022 Commonwealth Games
- The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has withdrawn its boycott call for the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham. The decision was taken during its Annual General Meeting held in New Delhi.
- The cause of the boycott call was exclusion of shooting. IOA also announced that the country will bid to host either the 2026 or the 2030 edition.
Daily Current Affairs – Defence
S S Deswal given additional charge of DG of CRPF
- S S Deswal has been given the “additional” charge to head Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Union home ministry took the decision as CRPF’s serving Director General (DG) R R Bhatnagar retired on 31st December, 2019.
- S S Deswal is presently serving as the Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
General Mukund Naravane becomes new Indian Army chief
- General Manoj Mukund Naravane took charge as the 28th Chief of Army Staff. He succeeded General Bipin Rawat who retired on 31st December, 2019. Earlier, General Naravane was serving as vice chief of the Indian Army.
- In his 37 years of service, he has also headed the Army’s Eastern Command that takes care of India’s nearly 4,000-km border with China.
- General Mukund Naravane is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.
Indian Railways introduces a new Passenger Information System
- Indian Railways introduced a new “Passenger Information System” at Anakapalle Railway Station of Vijayawada Division in South Central Railway.
- The comprises “At a Glance Display Board” which gives a glance of the status of various train timings at the Station and “Coach Guidance Display Board” which provides the Coach Composition position of a train.
- The application aims to provide better features and easy guidance to the passengers and hence providing satisfactory user experience.
- The system provides automated display information about the trains expected at the station in the next two hours in Trilingual form i.e. in three languages: Telugu, English and Hindi.