GK & Current Affairs: December 27, 2016

1. “Atal Amrit Abhiyan” a health insurance scheme has been launched by which state government of India?
[A]Assam
[B]Haryana
[C]Andhra Pradesh
[D]Punjab
Answer: Assam
Notes:
The Assam Government has recently launched a health insurance scheme “Atal-Amrit Abhiyan” to provide coverage against several critical illnesses. The scheme will offer coverage against 437 illnesses in six disease groups viz. cardiovascular, cancer, kidney, neo-natal, neurological conditions and burns. Both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families, with annual income below Rs 5 lakh, are eligible for the scheme.
2. Which country has successfully tested its 5th generation stealth fighter jet “FC-31 Gyrfalcon”?
[A]India
[B]China
[C]Pakistan
[D]South Korea
Answer: China
Notes:
China has successfully tested the newest version of the J-31stealth fighter “FC-31 Gyrfalcon”, the 5th generation fighter jet. The twin-engine jet is manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC). The new FC-31 has better stealth capabilities, improved electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity.
3. Vera Rubin, who passed away recently, was the noted astronomer of which country?
[A]Germany
[B]United Kingdom
[C]United States
[D]France
Answer: United States
Notes:
Vera Rubin (88), an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates, has recently passed away in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1974, Rubin discovered that the stars at the edges of galaxies moved faster than expected. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted angular motion of galaxies and the observed motion, by studying galactic rotation curves. To reconcile her observations with the law of gravity, scientists proposed there was matter we cannot see and called it dark matter. Dark matter is an unidentified type of matter comprising approximately 27% of the mass and energy in the observable universe.
4. “Bank Sakhi” scheme has been launched by which grameen bank of India?
[A]Madhyanchal Gramin Bank (MGB)
[B]Narmada Jhabua Gramin Bank (NJGB)
[C]Prathama Bank
[D]Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB)
Answer: Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB)
Notes:
The Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has recently launched “Bank Sakhi” innovative scheme for employing women in villages to promote and improve the cashless transactions in rural areas at a programme held at Adavi Somapura village in Gadag district, Karnataka. A “Bank Sakhi” is someone who has been a member of a self-help group involved in conducting banking and book-keeping activities of the group. As a “Bank Sakhi”, she will provide a range of financial services on behalf of the bank to her community. The local self-groups which provide capacity enhancement, training and financial awareness in the community, will support her. The Bank Sakhi is paid a commission by the bank for different services, which covers her costs and provides her with an income.
5. The book “Emperor Chandragupta” has been authored by whom?
[A]Adity Kay
[B]Kavita Kane
[C]Krishna Udayasankar
[D]Shatrujeet Nath
Answer: Adity Kay
Notes:
The book “Emperor Chandragupta” has been authored by Adity Kay. This is the story of a youth who fought against all odds – within and without – to become one of the greatest emperors ever known. This is the story of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire in India.
6. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who passed away recently, was the former Prime Minister of which country?
[A]Maldivies
[B]Sri Lanka
[C]Myanmar
[D]Malaysia
Answer: Sri Lanka
Notes:
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (83), the former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, has recently passed away Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010.
7. The Chardham highway project will come up in which state of India?
[A]Jharkhand
[B]Sikkim
[C]Bihar
[D]Uttarakhand
Answer: Uttarakhand
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for the Chardham highway development project (or the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna) at Parade Ground in Dehradun, Uttarakhand to improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath) in the Himalayas. The purpose of the project is to develop around 900 km of national highways. These highways will be built in Uttarakhand at an approximate cost of Rs.12,000 crore.
8. Samit Gohel is associated with which sports?
[A]Cricket
[B]Badminton
[C]Boxing
[D]Wrestling
Answer: Cricket
Notes:
Samit Gohel, the opening batsman of Gujarat, has broke a 117-year-old record in the first-class cricket by notching up the highest score while carrying his bat through the innings of 359 not out during his team’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Odisha at Jaipur, Rajasthan. Gohel broke the record of Surrey’s Bobby Abel, who had scored 357 for Surrey against Somerset at the Oval in 1899 to register the highest score by an opener carrying his bat in first-class cricket.
9. Who is the newly appointed Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC)?
[A]L L Maldev
[B]Vikram Aggarwal
[C]Vinod Vashisht
[D]A Chakravarty
Answer: Vinod Vashisht
Notes:
Lt Gen Vinod Vashisht is the newly appointed Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC). Prior to this appointment, he was the Commandant at Officers Training Academy at Gaya, Bihar. He succeeded Lt Gen A Chakravarty, who retired on August 31, 2016.
10. The registration fees for Indian citizenship of which neighboring countries’ Hindus have been reduced to Rs. 100?
[A]Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh
[B]Pakistan, Myanmar and Bhutan
[C]Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
[D]Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka
Answer: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh
Notes:
The registration fees for Hindus and other minority community people from three neighbouring countries namely Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, as Indian citizens have been reduced to as low as Rs.100 from Rs.15,000. The new rules will be applicable to minority communities- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians-from these nations and living in India on Long Term Visa. Though, for minority community people from countries other than the three, the fees will be Rs 10,000 for registration in India and Rs 15,000 if registered elsewhere. The changes have been made after amending various provisions of the Citizenship Rules 2009. The new rules also allow the minority members from the neighbouring countries to take oath of allegiance as an Indian citizen in front of Sub-Divisional Magistrate, in case of absence of Collector, Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate. .

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