1. Which global organisation has adopted a new voting procedure involving secret ballots for its elections, amidst Covid-19 pandemic?
[A] European Union
[B] United Nations
[C] World Health Organisation
[D] North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Nations]
Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly has recently adopted a new voting procedure for the upcoming election of new members of the Security Council.
This change is due to the restrictions for large gathering and to ensure social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Usually, the assembly meet in a horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at UN headquarters. But now, the ambassadors from 193 UN member nations will cast secret ballots at predetermined places and time slots.
2. The Union Government has approved Rs 445 Crore for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in which state/UT?
[A] Jammu & Kashmir
[B] Assam
[C] Punjab
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chhattisgarh]
Notes:
The Union Government has approved 445 crore rupees for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh during 2020-21, to provide tap connections to 20 lakh households.
The aim of Jal Jeevan Mission is to provide potable drinking water on a long-term basis to every rural household of the country by 2024. During the Union Budget 2020, 3.6 lakh crores has been allocated for this scheme. The migrant labourers returned to Chhattisgarh will be involved in the jobs related to water supply.
3. Which country, that currently holds the BRICS Presidency, hosted the Meeting of the BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities?
[A] Brazil
[B] Russia
[C] China
[D] South Africa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Russia]
Notes:
Russia, that currently holds the BRICS Presidency, hosted the meeting of the Heads of Tax Authorities of the BRICS countries.
Though the meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Moscow, owing to Covid-19 restrictions, it was held through video conferencing. The Finance Secretary of India Ajay Bhushan Pandey represented India at the meeting. Possibilities of exploring areas of cooperation in tax matters and response of tax authorities were discussed.
4. Which major technology company has launched a new application named ‘Sodar’, to help people maintain distancing?
[A] Facebook
[B] Amazon
[C] Google
[D] Apple
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Google]
Notes:
Major technology firm Google has launched a new application named ‘Sodar’, to help people maintain social distancing.
The application uses Augmented reality (AR) for this purpose. It creates a visual boundary using the user’s smartphone camera and show who is breaching that distance, on a real-time basis. Earlier, the UN Technology Innovation Labs released a free mobile social distancing app 1point5 which uses Bluetooth signal.
5. What is the name of the Video Blogging Contest, associated with International Yoga Day, that was recently announced?
[A] Yoga with Family
[B] My Life – My Yoga
[C] Yoga fights Covid-19
[D] Yoga for the world
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [My Life – My Yoga]
Notes:
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat address announced the Video Blogging Contest named “My Life – My Yoga” (also called “Jeevan Yoga”).
It is a collaboration of Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The contest is a part of activities related to the 6th International Day of Yoga (IDY) on 21st June 2020. The contest is open to participants from all countries. The first phase will select winners within the country and the second phase will select global winners.
6. Which company has partnered with the Trivandrum-based SCTIMST institute for commercial production of COVID kits?
[A] Larsen & Toubro
[B] Tata Group
[C] Reliance Industries
[D] Mahindra & Mahindra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tata Group]
Notes:
The Tata Group has recently signed a partnership agreement with the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) of Thiruvananthapuram for commercial production of Covid-19 testing kits.
The kits to be produced are based on Reverse Transcriptase Loop-Mediated Amplification (RT-LAMP) technology for Covid-19 detection. The kits provide results in a lesser time against the conventional method. Earlier, Tata Sons had partnered with CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology to produce CRISPR-based COVID test kits.
7. Who has been nominated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award?
[A] Shikhar Dhawan
[B] Rohit Sharma
[C] Jasprit Bumrah
[D] Ravindra Jadeja
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rohit Sharma]
Notes:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has nominated Indian cricket star Rohit Sharma for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Other stars including Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Deepti Yadav have been shortlisted by the BCCI for the Arjuna Award. The period of consideration for the awards is between January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. Rohit Sharma has been named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2019.
8. Which consumer electronics company has partnered with Indian start-up incubator T-Hub to support start-up ecosystem in India?
[A] Realme
[B] OPPO
[C] Xiaomi
[D] Huawei
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [OPPO]
Notes:
Chinese mobile communication cum consumer electronics company OPPO has recently partnered with Indian start-up incubator T-Hub to support start-up ecosystem in India.
Under the partnership, the start-ups specialising in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Battery, Camera and Image Processing will be scaled up. The selected start-up firms will receive incubation support and market access from OPPO as well as mentorship from T-Hub.
9. Which state/UT is set to produce the high-quality Australian Merino sheep wool indigenously?
[A] Jammu & Kashmir
[B] Uttarakhand
[C] Himachal Pradesh
[D] Assam
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uttarakhand]
Notes:
As per the test report of the Animal Husbandry Department of the state of Uttarakhand, the quality of the state’s sheep wool compiled was similar to the Merino sheep wool.
The Merino sheep wool of Australia is famous across the world in the textile industry for its fine texture. India imports nearly 8000 MT of fine wool every year. Uttarakhand received 250 Merino sheep in Tehri Garhwal district under the national livestock scheme last year. With appropriate breeding programmes, Uttarakhand would produce high-quality fine Merino wool.
10. Which state-owned organisation has developed a multi-purpose disinfection unit named Ultra Swachh?
[A] DRDO
[B] CSIR
[C] HAL
[D] BARC
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [DRDO]
Notes:
Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), the Delhi based laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a disinfection unit named Ultra Swachh.
It is a multi-purpose unit, which can be used to disinfect a wide range of objects and materials including Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), fabrics among others. The system is compliant with international standards of personal and environmental safety. The system will be available in two variants namely Ozonated Space and Trinetra Technology