GK & Current Affairs: January 1, 2017

1. Kush Bhagat is associated with which sports?
[A]Chess
[B]Badminton
[C]Tennis
[D]Wushu
Answer: Chess
Notes:
Kush Bhagat has recently won three gold medals in the 1st Western Asia Youth Chess Championships at Al Ain Chess Club in United Arab Emirates (UAE) in all the three categories – rapid, blitz and standard. With this, he became the only Indian to bag all the crowns in the competition. Bhagat is the 2nd standard student of the NSS Hill Spring International School in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
2. Who is the new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army?
[A]Vikram Singh Rathore
[B]Bipin Rawat
[C]Velu Nair
[D]Birender Singh
Answer: Bipin Rawat
Notes:
General Bipin Rawat has become the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army. He has tremendous experience in serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades. He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC with Pakistan, the LoC with China and in the North-East. He is known for his balanced approach towards soldiering, compassion, and connect with civil society. Beside him, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa has also become the new Air Force chief. The new Air Chief Marshal was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1978. He has served in various squadrons and in the Intelligence Directorate of Air Headquarters.
3. Who has been named as the new Prime Minister of Romania?
[A]Victor Ponta
[B]Sevil Shhaideh
[C]Klaus Iohannis
[D]Sorin Grindeanu
Answer: Sorin Grindeanu
Notes:
Sorin Grindeanu, a member of the Social Democratic Party, has been officially appointed as the new Prime Minister of Romania. Now, he will face a confidence vote in parliament on his programme and cabinet nominees. He is expected to take office on January 4, 2017.
4. Eknathrao Vikhe-Pati, who passed away recently, was the well-known politician of which state?
[A]Rajasthan
[B]Uttar Pradesh
[C]Gujarat
[D]Maharashtra
Answer: Maharashtra
Notes:
Eknathrao Vikhe-Patil (84), the veteran Congress leader and former Union minister, has recently passed away in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Patil was popularly known as Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil. He was 8-time MP and became Minister of State for Finance in the NDA government in 1999. He returned to the Congress fold in 2004.
5. Where is the headquarters of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS)?
[A]United States
[B]France
[C]Germany
[D]Switzerland
Answer: Switzerland
Notes:
Recently, the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has named as the 2016 World’s Best Playmaker for the 2nd consecutive year by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). The IFFHS is an organization that chronicles the history and records of association football and its’ headquarters is located at Lausanne, Switzerland.
6. India’s first transgender school “Sahaj International” has started in which state?
[A]Tamil Ndau
[B]Kerala
[C]Karnataka
[D]Andhra Pradesh
Answer: Kerala
Notes:
India’s first transgender school “Sahaj International” has started at Thrikkakara in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. It was inaugurated by transgender activist, writer and actor Kalki Subramaniam. The purpose of Transgender School is to provide transgenders security, salvation and sustainability. The new learning centre will help them continue their education and appear for Class X and XII examinations.This alternative learning centre works in collaboration with National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
7. Which state government has recently declared 50% reservation in judicial services for OBCs, SCs, STs and EBCs?
[A]Odisha
[B]Madhya Pradesh
[C]Bihar
[D]Assam
Answer: Bihar
Notes:
The Bihar government has recently declared 50% reservation in all judicial services for aspirants belonging to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The reservation will be in both Superior Judicial Services and Subordinate Judicial Services. According to the Bihar Cabinet, aspirants belonging to EBCs will get 21% reservation, OBCs will have 12 % reservations, SCs will have 16 % reservation and STs will be provided 1% reservation in all judicial services of the State. Beside this, there will be 35% horizontal reservation for women and 1% reservation for disabled persons. Currently, there is a provision for only 27% reservation in subordinate services while no quota in superior services.
8. Who of the following have been chosen for the 2016 Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith?
[A]Yogita Yadav and Arunabh Saurav
[B]Om Naagar and Tasneem Khan
[C]Shraddha and Ghyansham Kumar Devansh
[D]Amlendu Tiwari and Balram Kawant
Answer: Shraddha and Ghyansham Kumar Devansh
Notes:
The two Hindi writers Shraddha and Ghyansham Kumar Devansh have been chosen for 2016 Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith. The award conferred to Shraddha for her short story ‘Hawa Mein Phadphadati Chitthi’ and on Devansh for his poem ‘Akash Mein Deh’. The award, which is given to young authors in Hindi for their first creations, consists of a statue of Goddess Saraswati, a citation and a cash prize each.
9. Which of the following banks has tied up with online portal “magicbricks.com” to conduct joint marketing activities?
[A]ICICI Bank
[B]Punjab National Bank
[C]HDFC Bank
[D]State Bank of India
Answer: State Bank of India
Notes:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has tied up with online classifieds portal magicbricks.com to conduct joint marketing activities and help rejuvenate the real estate sector. To kick start the MOU, SBI and Magicbrickshas launched the “Seal the Deal” campaign. The campaign will showcase SBI approved projects on the Magicbricks platform. This mega online property show will be the first housing carnival in the industry at this scale.
10. The book “The Secret Chord” has been authored by whom?
[A]Alice Hoffman
[B]Geraldine Brooks
[C]T D Ramakrishnan
[D]Tishani Doshi
Answer: Geraldine Brooks
Notes:
The book “The Secret Chord” has been authored by Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author. It is a historical novel that traces the life of King David. .

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