GK & Current Affairs Quiz: February 1, 2017

1. Who is the leading the Indian delegation in the 2017 SAARC programming committee?
[A] Sushma Swaraj
[B] Rajnath Singh
[C] Prashant Agarwal
[D] Arun Jaitley
Answer: Prashant Agarwal
Notes:
The 53rd session of programming committee meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has started at Kathmandu, Nepal on February 1, 2017. The senior officials of all 8 member countries are participating in the meeting. The Indian delegation is lead by Prashant Agarwal, Joint Secretary (SAARC). During the two day meeting number of issues such as budget of SAARC secretariat and its 5 regional centres and regular activities of the Association will be discussed. This is the first senior level meeting of Association since postponement of 19th SAARC Summit in November 2016.
2. E Ahmad, who passed away recently, was the Member of Parliament (MP) from which Lok Sabha constituency of Kerala?
[A] Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency
[B] Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency
[C] Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency
[D] Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency
Answer: Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency
Notes:
E. Ahamed (78), the former Union minister, has passed away in New Delhi on February 1, 2017. He represented the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency of Kerala and was the National President of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). He served as Minister of State for External Affairs in the Manmohan Singh government (2004–14).
3. Which Indian personality will attend the 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as a Guest of Honour?
[A] Pranab Mukherjee
[B] Arun Jaitly
[C] Narendra Modi
[D] Sushma Swaraj
Answer: Narendra Modi
Notes:
Recently, India has been invited as a Guest Country at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which will be held in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia from June 1 to 3, 2017 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the forum as a Guest of Honour. The SPIEF is a unique international event in the world of economics and business, held annually with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation.
4. The 2017 South Asia Speakers Summit will be hosted by which country?
[A] Myanmar
[B] Pakistan
[C] Nepal
[D] India
Answer: India
Notes:
The South Asian Speakers Summit will be held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh from February 18-19, 2017. The speakers of parliaments of the south Asian nations will share their experiences and deliberate on their role in achieving sustainable development goals. The summit, which is primarily an International Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) initiative, is expected to see the participation of the speakers of parliament from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Recently, it is in news because Pakistan and Myanmar has rejected an invitation from the Indian Parliament and the IPU to attend the meeting.
5. Which Bollywood actress has been appointed the new Brand Ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Campaign?
[A] Anushka Sharma
[B] Deepika Padukone
[C] Aishwarya Rai
[D] Priyanka Chopra
Answer: Anushka Sharma
Notes:
Anushka Sharma, the Bollywood actress, has been appointed the new ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Campaign by the Ministry of Urban Development. She will highlight the women-centric aspects of open defecation as part of the nationwide health and sanitation campaign and will join the campaign with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is also the brand ambassador of this campaign.
6. The book “Between Two Worlds – The Assamese Sikhs” has been authored by whom?
[A] Amrit Lal Nagar
[B] Aga Shahid Ali
[C] Abhijit Bhaduri
[D] Bimal Phukan
Answer: Bimal Phukan
Notes:
The book “Between Two Worlds – The Assamese Sikhs” has been authored by Bimal Phukan. The book throws light on Guru Tegh Bahadur’s visit to Assam in 1669 AD and the early beginnings of the Dhubri Gurdwara. It also chronicles the history of ‘Assamese Sikhs’. The illustrious careers of some of them as well as their contribution to Assamese literature have also been mentioned.
7. Who has been appointed the new Director General (DG) of Investigation in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)?
[A] P V K Reddy
[B] K Reghuram Reddy
[C] Radhakanta Tripathy
[D] J S Khehar
Answer: P V K Reddy
Notes:
P.V. K. Reddy, the IPS officer of 1982 batch, has been appointed the new Director General (DG) of Investigation in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) up to the date of his superannuation i.e. 30
4.2017 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
8. Who is the newly appointed Director General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO)?
[A] K S Rathore
[B] Sunil Rajput
[C] Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava
[D] Suresh Sharma
Answer: Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava
Notes:
Lieutenant General Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava is the newly appointed Director General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Prior to this appointment, he was holding the appointment of Director General Combat Engineers at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army). He succeeded Lt General Suresh Sharma. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries. Presently, BRO is involved in the construction of a tunnel at the Rohtang pass which is estimated to be ready by 2019. The headquarters of BRO is located at New Delhi and Ministry of Defence is the parent organization.
9. The Union Government will launch which platform to leverage Information Technology (IT)?
[A] Sangarsh
[B] Swayam
[C] Samarth
[D] Sandesh
Answer: Swayam
Notes:
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley while presenting the General Budget 2017-18 in Parliament has stated that the Government proposes to leverage information technology and will launch “SWAYAM” platform with at least 350 online courses. The platform will enable students to virtually attend the courses taught by the best faculty, access high quality reading resources, participate in discussion forums; take tests and earn academic grades. The access to SWAYAM would be widened by linkage with DTH channels, dedicated to education.
10. What is the theme of 2017 World Wetlands Day?
[A] Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction
[B] No wetlands – no water
[C] Fish for tomorrow?
[D] Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People
Answer: Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction
Notes:
The World Wetlands Day (WWD) is observed every year on February 2 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in Iran. The day is established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet.The wetlands play an important role in reducing the impact of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and cyclones. Wetlands act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding. The 2017 theme is “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction”. .

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