GK & Current Affairs: January 2, 2017

1. Who has been appointed as the new chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)?
[A]S R Hashim
[B]Deepak Gupta
[C]Alka Sirohi
[D]David Syiemlieh
Answer: David Syiemlieh
Notes:
Prof. David R. Syiemlieh has been appointed as the new chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He is from Meghalaya and was a UPSC member. Syiemlieh will assume charge on January 4, 2017 and retire on January 21, 2018. He will succeed Alka Sirohi, a retired IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
2. Which Indian-origin British professor has been honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Knighthood?
[A]Nandini Koel
[B]Kamaldeep Begol
[C]Shankar Balasubramanian
[D]Mandeep Singh Bhui
Answer: Shankar Balasubramanian
Notes:
Prof. Shankar Balasubramanian, an Indian-origin British professor of chemistry and DNA expert at Cambridge University, has been honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Knighthood for his work as a co-inventor of Next Generation DNA sequencing, described as the most transformational advance in biology and medicine for decades.
3. Who is the newly elected Chief Justice of Pakistan?
[A]Nasir-ul-Mulk
[B]Mian Saqib Nisar
[C]Jawwad S. Khawaja
[D]Anwar Zaheer Jamali
Answer: Mian Saqib Nisar
Notes:
Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has been sworn-in as the new chief justice of Pakistan. He succeeded Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali. Prior to this appointment, Nisar was the judge of Lahore High Court.
4. The Bargarh Dhanua Jatra festival has started in which of the following states?
[A]Odisha
[B]Kerala
[C]Assam
[D]Manipur
Answer: Odisha
Notes:
The world-famous Bargarh Dhanua Jatra festival has started in Bargarh, the western Odisha town, as all the rituals were performed before Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of the event. The 11-day gala event will set the stage for all mythological places related to Lord Krishna based in the ancient city itself. Bargarh becomes the Mathuranagari and Ambapalli area is staged as Gopapur, the parenting place of Krishna. Jeera River is considered as river Yamuna and Hatapada mandap is taken as the Raj darbar of king Kansa. The Dhanu Jatra is an annual drama-based open air theatrical performance celebrated within a 6 km radius in and around the Bargarh municipality. It is considered to be the world’s largest open-air theatrical festival.
5. The book “Scattered Souls” has been authored by whom?
[A]Basharat Pee
[B]Fazlur Rahman
[C]Agha Shahid Ali
[D]Shahnaj Bashir
Answer: Shahnaj Bashir
Notes:
The book “Scattered Souls” has been authored by Shahnaj Bashir. It is a powerful collection of stories focuses on life loss and death in the Kashmir Valley.
6. Who has been awarded ‘Scroll of Honor’ by Government of India (GoI) to promote cashless transactions?
[A]Manish Jadon
[B]Khusbu Gupta
[C]Surbhi Kapoor
[D]Gaurav Goyal
Answer: Gaurav Goyal
Notes:
Gaurav Goyal, the district collector of Ajmer, has been awarded ‘Scroll of Honor’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for encouraging cashless transactions in the district. The award was given for plethora of measures taken by the collector post demonetization to encourage cashless transactions and ensure law and order. Ajmer topped the 5 best districts to promote cashless transactions.The award was jointly given by Ministry of Information and Technology and Niti Ayog.
7. The Haj Committee of India (HCoI) is the statutory body of which union ministry?
[A]Ministry of Home Affairs
[B]Ministry of Minority Affairs
[C]Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
[D]Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Answer: Ministry of Minority Affairs
Notes:
The Haj Committee of India (HCoI) is a statutory body of Union Ministry of Minority Affairs constituted under the Haj Committee Act, 2002 ( Act 35 of 2002). It makes arrangements for the Haj pilgrimage of Muslims in India. Recently, the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has launched Haj Committee of India Mobile App at Haj House in Mumbai to encourage online applications to ensure fair opportunity for 2017 Haj pilgrimage with complete transparency and comfort. The features of the mobile app are such as applying for Haj, enquiry and information, news and updates and e-payment.
8. Which of the following state governments have signed MoU to prepare State Resident Data Base (SRDB)?
[A]Haryana and Assam
[B]Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh
[C]Haryana and Andhra Pradesh
[D]Maharashtra and Assam
Answer: Haryana and Andhra Pradesh
Notes:
The Haryana government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh to prepare centralized State Resident Data Base (SRDB) of its population to ensure efficient and effective implementation of welfare programmes.
9. Tyrus Wong, who passed away recently, was the legendary Disney artist of which country?
[A]Germany
[B]France
[C]United States
[D]United Kingdom
Answer: United States
Notes:
Tyrus Wong (106), the legendary Disney artist, has recently passed away in United States. He was best known for his sketches for the Walt Disney animated feature “Bambi”. Wong was a Chinese-born American artist, whose vibrant paintings captured Walt Disney’s eye and became the basis of the film’s distinct style.
10. Who is the newly appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs?
[A]Anoop Srivastava
[B]Sanjeevanee Kutty
[C]Susheel Kumar
[D]Seema Bahuguna
Answer: Anoop Srivastava
Notes:
Anoop Kumar Srivastava, an IAS officer of 1981 batch of Assam-Meghalaya Cadre, has recently taken over charge of the Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Prior to this appointment, he was the Officer on Special Duty in the same Ministry. .

The above 5 questions are part of Daily Current Affairs 20 MCQs Series in GKToday Android Application. This series can be subscribed in the app only for Rs. 799/- for entire year. Download Now