ENGLISH QUIZ 16.08.2020

1.Consider the following statements:

1.National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) Online Dashboard has been inaugurated by Nirmala                         Sitharaman.

2.The Finance Minister had announced an outlay of Rs 90 lakh crore for infrastructure projects in                  the country for the next 5 years in her Budget Speech 2019-20.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

2.Consider the following statements:

1.Two HAL light combat choppers deployed in Ladakh.

2.HAL is expected to receive an order of 25 LCHs by end of 2020. Of these, 10 are to be used by the               Indian Air Force and five by the Indian Army.

3.Both Indian Army and IAF need 160 LCH in all.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

3.Consider the following statements related to AMRUT Scheme:

1.Odisha Tops In AMRUT Scheme Implementation.

2.The mission was launched in 2015 by PM Modi.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

4.Which of the following entities has launched India’s 1st Pocket Android POS (Point of Sale) Device for contactless ordering and payments in India?

A. Paytm

B. Google Pay

C. Mobikwik

D. Phone Pay

5.Walter Roger Martos Ruiz becomes new Prime Minister of which country?

A. Guyana

B. Peru

C. Argentina

D. Uruguay

6.Who has been has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Mauritania?

A. Mohammad irfan ali

B. Hichme Machichi

C. Mohammad Ould Bilal

D. Chandrikaprasad ‘Chain’ Santokhi

7.Which become the first city in India to have women symbols on traffic signals and signage?

A. Bengaluru

B. Delhi

C. Hyderabad

D. Mumbai

8.Which of the following industry bodies has organized the “India@75 Summit – Mission 2022”?

A. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

B. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)

C. Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO)

D. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

9.Renowned personality GK Menon passed away, recently he was a veteran________.

A. Bureaucrat

B. Journalist

C. Politician

D. Economist

10.In which state was the Chief Minister Kisan Sahai Yojana launched?

A. Assam

B. Goa

C. Gujarat

D. Rajasthan’

11.In which country was the first private upper stage rocket engine tested?

A. Pakistan

B. Afghanistan

C. Russia

D. India

12.Which player has recently announced his retirement from international cricket?

A. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

B. Suresh Singh

C. Yuvraj Singh

D. Parthiv Patel

ANSWERS:-

Answer: 1)A      

Explanation

The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) Online Dashboard has been inaugurated by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman. The newly launched platform “NIP” will act as one stop solution for all stakeholders seeking for information on infrastructure projects in New India. The platform is being considered a step towards the vision of an Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. It will attract investors for PPP projects and also ensure easy accessibility to updated project information.

Highlights

• The Finance Minister had announced an outlay of Rs 100 lakh crore for infrastructure projects in the country for the next 5 years in her Budget Speech 2019-20.
• The dashboard is to be hosted by India Investment Grid (IIG).
• IIG is a dynamic online platform that showcases real time investment opportunities in the country.
• The National Infrastructure Pipeline will provide boost to Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• The availability of infrastructure project information will ensure easy accessibility of updated project information and also will attract investors for PPP projects.
• The NIP is first of its kind initiative.
• The NIP will help to attract investment into infrastructure and also will help achieve the target of India becoming a 5 trillion USD economy.

National Infrastructure Pipeline

• The National Infrastructure Pipeline was launched for the year 2019-25. The main aim of NIP is to provide ease of living.
• This is to be achieved by providing safe drinking water, access to clean and affordable energy, modern railway stations, health care for all, bus terminals, airports and world class educational institutes.
• The NIP is being launched with an outlook that it will create jobs, provide equitable access to infrastructure to all and improve ease of living.
• This will help to make growth more inclusive. Under the NIP, sectors such as Roads (19%), Energy (24%), Urban (16%) and Railways (13%) are to amount to 70% of capital expenditure in infrastructure in India between 2020 and 2025.
• The plan is to invest more than Rs 102 lakh cores on infrastructure projects by 2024-25.
• Of these, the centre, state and private sector are to share the capital expenditure in the formula of 39:39:22.

Answer: 2)B

Explanation

Two light combat helicopters, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force at short notice amid the border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).The LCH has twin engines and is the lightest attack helicopter in the world. It was developed by HAL and thus it meets the requirements of Defence of the country under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

About LCH

• The LCH can hit any type of target in day and night. It is capable of carrying adequate weapon loads at high altitudes under varied conditions.
• It has potential to operation in AOR (Area of Responsibility).

What is Area of Responsibility?

• It is the area with specific boundaries where the commanders have authority to plan and conduct operations to which he or she bears the responsibility.
• The LCH is equipped with 70 mm rockets.

 

HAL

• HAL is expected to receive an order of 15 LCHs by end of 2020. Of these, 10 are to be used by the Indian Air Force and five by the Indian Army.
• Both Indian Army and IAF need 160 LCH in all.
• The decision of these procurements is carried out by the Defence Acquisition Council.

Defence Acquisition Council

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) recently approved the procurement 33 fighter jets.
• This includes 12 Su-30 MKI and 21 MIG-29.
• Also, the DAC has approved upgradation of 59 MIG-29 aircrafts.
• The upgradation is to be done from Russia at a cost of Rs 7,418 crores.
• The Su-30 MKI is to be procured from HAL at a cost of Rs 10, 730 crores.

DAC held its meeting under Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh. During the meet, the following decisions were made

• To procure 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) for the basic training of Indian Air Force.
• To procure Super Rapid Gun Mount fitted as main gun onboard Indian Coast Guard and Navy warships from BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited)
• To procure 125 mm APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot) for the Indian Army.
• To speed up AK 203 and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
• It is to be noted that in July 2020, the DAC gave special financial power to the Indian Armed Forces to make emergency purchases up to Rs 300 crores to meet operational requirements.

Answer: 3)C      

Explanation

~Once again Odisha topped this year in the effective implementation of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme in the country. The ranking list was released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, declaring Odisha ranked as the top State securing 85.61 per cent of marks. The State has been consistently ranked in first place among other States since 2019 due to compatibility with its performance.Chandigarh ranked as the second position and Telangana as the third with 75.08 and 74.04 percentages respectively.under the scheme, 148 projects have been completed out of 191 projects. The rest are to be completed within the mission period of March 2021. Odisha

• Nine cities of Odisha namely Bhubaneshwar, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada, Berhampur and Puri were covered under the scheme. Around 2,400 kilo metres of pipeline laying has been completed in the state till date.

AMRUT Scheme

• The mission was launched in 2015 by PM Modi.
• It was extended by 2 years in December 2019.
• Under the scheme, the states prepared their own State Annual Action Plans.
• The states will transfer funds to urban local bodies to implement the scheme.
• The fund transfer has to be done within seven days of transfer by central government.

The mission mainly focuses on the following

1. Water Supply
2. Storm Water Drainage to reduce flooding
3. Sewerage and Septage Management
4. Green spaces in the cities
5. Non-motorised Urban Transport

Cities covered under the scheme

• Around 500 cities were selected under the scheme.
• All the cities and towns that have population more than 1 lakh according to the census 2011 are included in the scheme.
• The capital cities of states and Union Territories are not covered.
• The cities that are classified as Heritage cities by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under HRIDAY scheme are also included in the scheme

HRIDAY Scheme

• HRIDAY is National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana and was launched under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It was launched to preserve and revitalize rich cultural heritage of India.

Answer: 4)A

Explanation

Paytm has rolled out its first pocket Android PoS device for contactless ordering and making payments for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).It will be available at ₹499 per month on a rental basis.

About the Device

• The device is integrated with the ‘Paytm for Business’ app to generate GST compliant bills and also to manage all transactions & settlements.
• Besides this, Paytm for Business app also helps merchants to avail of numerous business services and financial solutions such as loans, insurance, and Business Khata to manage digital ledger of all their transactions including udhaar, cash, and card sales.
• It also has a merchandise store on the app offering Paytm All-in-One QR integrated utility items such as soundbox, calculator, power bank, clock, pen stands, and radio.
• It works with 4G SIM cards, Wi-Fi and has Bluetooth connectivity to ensure payments never fail and stays round the clock connected with all of Paytm’s bouquet of services.
• The device weighs 163 grams, is 12mm thick, and has a 4.5-inch touch screen. It comes bundled with a powerful processor, all-day battery life, and an inbuilt camera to scan QR codes and instantly process payment.
• It claims to offer many industry-first features & services including cloud-based software for billing, payments, and customer management.

Paytm

• Paytm founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
• Paytm Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• Paytm founded:

Answer: 5)B

Explanation

Walter Roger Martos Ruiz has taken over as the new Prime Minister of Peru (South American country) under Martín Vizcarra’s administration.He will succees Pedro Cateriano.Prior to this, he was serving as the Minister of Defense (October 2019 to August 2020).He was former major-general of the Peruvian Army and has served in a variety of leading military positions throughout his career.

Peru’s Capital: Lima

Currency of Peru: Sol (PEN)

Answer: 6)C

Explanation

Mohamed Ould Bilal has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Mauritania by the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani. He is a veteran public administrator .He also served as the head of water agency, a presidential aide and a cabinet minister of Mauritania nation. He will succeed Ismail Ould Cheikh Sidiya, who resigned recently.

Capital of Mauritania: Nouakchott.

Currency of Mauritania: Mauritanian ouguiya.

Answer: 7)D

Explanation

Mumbai has become first Indian city to have women symbols on traffic signals and signage that symbolizes gesture towards gender equality in public spaces. It has been installed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The symbol display female icons sporting triangular frock, a shift from the default representation of men. The symbols can be spotted at 240 signals on 120 posts situated in 12 different road crossings near Mumbai’s Dadar area.

Answer: 8)A

Explanation

Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) hosted ‘India@75 Summit: Mission 2022’ as a part of its 125 years celebration. It is basically people’s movement that works towards the creation of an inclusively developed India. India@75 Summit was a digital event that featured many thought-provoking sessions. The summit worked under the umbrella theme ‘Collaborating for a New, Self-Reliant India”.

CII adopted India@75 vision on 8 May 2008

CII President: Uday Kotak.

Answer: 9)B

Explanation

Renonwed sports journalist GK Menon (93 years) passes away in suburban Mumbai. He worked as a freelancer with the Indian Express and The Times of India in 1990s. He played cricket at club level and also was an active member of Shivaji Park Gymkhana, Dadar (Mumbai). He was manager of Bombay University team in 1952-53 which won Rohinton Baria Trophy by beating Delhi. Test players like Chandu Patankar, Ramnath Kenny, Naren Tamhane and GR Sunderam emerge out of this team.

Answer: 10)C

Explanation

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana for the current Kharif season. Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar , he said that all farmers of the state will be covered under this scheme. He said that there is no need to pay any premium or registration process.

Key Features of the Scheme

• If the crop loss of the farmer is between 33% and 66%, the farmer will get compensation of Rs 20,000 per hectare for a maximum of four hectares.
• If the crop loss is above 60% the farmer will get compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare for maximum of four hectares.
• The farmers will also get additional compensation under the State Disaster Response Fund.

Benefits

• The new scheme is to benefit 56 lakh farmers of the state. Also, it is simpler than that of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
• A dedicated portal is to be launched under the scheme for the farmers to register online.
• Also, the tribal farmers registered under Forest Rights Act are also eligible to gains benefits under the scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

• The Scheme was launched in line with One Nation-One Scheme theme.
• The scheme will replace two existing schemes National agricultural Insurance Scheme and Modified NAIS.
• The scheme will provide 2% premium to the farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops.
• For horticultural crops, a premium of 5% is to be paid.

Answer: 11)D

Explanation

Spacetech startup Skyroot Aerospace has successfully test fired an upper stage rocket engine, becoming the first Indian private company to demonstrate the capability to build a homegrown rocket engine. Meanwhile, the company is planning to raise around Rs 90 crore.

Skyroot Aerospace

• The rocket was developed by the Skyroot firm that is headquartered at Hyderabad. The firm is backed by Curefit founders Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori.
• The Skyroot Aerospace was founded by former scientists of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).
• The firm demonstrated the first 100% 3D printed bi-propellant liquid rocket engine injector.
• This rocket had its overall mass reduced by 50% and total number of components and lead time reduced by 80%.

About the mission

• The first rocket that is to be launched in lower earth orbit weighs around 250-700 kgs. It is expected to be launched by 2021.

Aerospace start-ups in India

• India had recently opened its space sector to its private players such as Skyroot, Bellatrix and Agnikul.
• They are building small launchers with 3-D printed engines.
• This is bringing down the cost of satellite launching. Also, this methodology is gaining bigger pie of global small satellite launch market.
• The research firm Frost and Sullivan is to launch more than 10,000 small satellites globally in the next decade.

Private Sector in ISRO

• In June 2020, GoI introduced a major reform in space sector by opening doors to private sectors.
• This will allow the space research organization to focus more on development activities, exploration, new technologies, exploration mission and also human space flight programmes.
• A new Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) was created to provide level playing field for the private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.

Answer: 12)A

Explanation

MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, as he brought the curtain down on his over 15-year career as an India cricketer.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered one of the best captains in world cricket history.
• M / s. Dhoni was born on 7 July 1981 in Ranchi.
• He made his international ODI debut against Bangladesh on 23 December 2004.
• Dhoni has scored 10,500 runs in 341 ODIs so far.
• Dhoni made his Test debut on 2 December 2005 against Sri Lanka.
• In a Test career, Dhoni scored 4,876 runs in 90 matches.
• He started his international T20 career on 1 December 2006.
• Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.