Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 11th September 2021

Correct Answer: B. Nirlep Singh Rai

Explanation: State-owned fertiliser firm National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) has Nirlep Singh Rai has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of the company. In a regulatory filing, NFL informed that Nirlep Singh Rai, Director (Technical), has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director, on the Board of the company with effect from the date of his assumption of charge.

About the Nirlep Singh Rai:

Rai, who was born in August 1962, is a B.E (Instrumentation & Control) from Thapar University. Prior to his appointment as Chairman & Managing Director, he was holding the position of Director (Technical) in NFL. Rai had also held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd and he had also headed the Nangal Unit of NFL as Chief General Manager.

Important Points:

• National Fertilizers Ltd Headquarters: Noida;
• National Fertilizers Ltd Founded: 1 September 1979.

Correct Answer – D. Lt Gen Gurmit Singh

Explanation: President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, who retired as the deputy chief of Army, governor of Uttarakhand, a post which fell vacant after Baby Rani Maurya tendered her resignation. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation of Maurya and appointed Singh as the governor of the state.

Shuffling of governors:

The President also appointed Banwarilal Purohit, currently the Governor of Tamil Nadu, as the Governor of Punjab. R.N.Ravi, presently the Governor of Nagaland, has been made the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Professor Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam is appointed to discharge the functions of the Governor of Nagaland in addition to his own duties until regular arrangements are made.The President’s office, in an official release, mentioned that the new appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

Correct Answer – D. bob World

Explanation: Bank of Baroda has announced the launch of its digital banking platform named ‘bob World’. The aim of the platform is to provide all banking services under one roof. The pilot test of the platform began on August 23, 2021. Over 220 services will be converged into one single app, covering nearly 95 per cent of all retail banking services, which can be accessed by customers domestically and globally.

About the app:

bob World’ will offer a wide gamut of banking products and services, to be rolled out in phases, under four key pillars — Save, Invest, Borrow and Shop. It has also integrated e-commerce to provide a wholesome and rewarding experience of banking and beyond, under one roof to the customers. 

Important Points:

• Bank Of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat, India;
• Bank Of Baroda Chairman: Hasmukh Adhia;
• Bank Of Baroda MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.

Correct Answer – E. Rajasthan

Explanation: Union Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh and Union Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Emergency Landing Facility on a National Highway in Rajasthan. This emergency landing facility has been constructed on the Satta-Gandhav stretch of National Highway (NH) 925A in Barmer, Rajasthan. This is the first time that a national highway (NH-925) will be used for the emergency landing of IAF aircraft. The project will cost ₹765.52 crores under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

About the highway:

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed a 3-km section of the Satta-Gandhav stretch of NH-925A, as an emergency landing facility (ELF) for the IAF.It is part of a newly developed two-lane paved shoulder of the Gagariya-Bakhasar and Satta-Gandhav section having a total length of 196.97 km.Apart from the Emergency Landing Strip, 3 helipads (size 100 x 30 metres each) have been constructed in Kundanpura, Singhania and Bakhasar villages in this project, according to the requirements of the Air Force/Indian Army, which will be the basis for strengthening the Indian Army and security network on the western international border of the country.

Correct Answer – B. 2020

Explanation: World EV Day is observed on September 9 every year. The day marks the celebration of e-mobility. Special awareness campaigns are organised globally to educate people about the benefits of electric vehicles.World EV Day was an initiative created by the sustainability media company GreenTV.The first World EV day was observed in 2020. China is the largest EV market in the world. It was largely a social media campaign that encouraged drivers to recognise the benefits of electric vehicles and make a commitment that the next car they drive will be electric and not run on conventional fuels.

Correct Answer – B. Myanmar

Explanation:  A Myanmar photographer won the top award at photojournalism’s biggest annual festival for his coverage of the troubled nation’s pro-democracy protests and bloody military crackdown.The photographer, who remained unnamed for security reasons, scooped the Visa d’Or for News, the most prestigious award handed out at the “Visa Pour L’Image” festival in Perpignan, southwestern France.Mikko Takkunen, the Asia photo editor for The New York Times, collected the prize on behalf of the photographer.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a February 1 coup, with near-daily protests and a huge civil disobedience movement.

Correct Answer – C. Andhra Pradesh

Explanation:  The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed Rajnish Kumar as its economic advisor.A former SBI chairman, Rajnish Kumar’s tenure in the cabinet rank position is for two years.The appointment comes amid the growing concerns over the state’s financial situation which has been badly hit by the Covid pandemic, even as the opposition has been critical over the sops and freebies being distributed by the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government.Rajnish Kumar who had retired as SBI chairman in October 2006, is an independent non-executive director at the HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

Correct Answer – B. Iceland

Explanation:  World’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air and turning it into rock started commenced its operation in Iceland.The plan is named as Orca or orka meaning energy.It has been developed by Swiss startup Climeworks AG and Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix.It consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes, similar in appearance to the containers used for maritime transport.It can suck out up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. That’s the equivalent of the annual emissions from about 790 cars.

Correct Answer – B. Rs.10,683 Crore

Explanation: Central government has approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme of worth Rs 10,683 crore for the textiles sector.This PLI scheme was approved in order to boost domestic manufacturing and exports.Scheme will help in creating direct additional employment of more than 7.5 lakh people and several supporting activities.As a part of incentives approved for textiles sector, the payout will be spread over a period of five years.PLI scheme was approved for textiles, MMF (man-made fibre) fabrics, MMF apparel and 10 segments or products of technical textiles.This production-linked incentive scheme for textiles is a part of overall scheme that was announced for 13 sectors during Budget 2021-22, with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

Correct Answer – A. Cuba

Explanation:  Cuba became the first country in the world to vaccinate children from the age of two against COVID-19, using home-grown jabs not recognised by the World Health Organisation. The communist island of 11.2 million people aims to inoculate all its children before reopening schools that have been closed for the most part since March 2020.Countries such as China, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela have announced they plan to vaccinate younger children, but Cuba is the first to do so.The Cuban vaccines, the first developed in Latin America, have not undergone international, scientific peer review.

Correct Answer: C. Germany

Explanation: Germany has handed the instrument of accession to the International Solar Alliance (ISA) after ratifying the alliance agreement. There are now 124 member nations. 84 countries have signed the ISA agreement framework, and about 67 have ratified it.  The alliance’s primary objective is to work for the efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.Germany has, thus become the 80th country to have signed and ratified it. ISA provides a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar-resource-rich countries contributing to help achieve the common goal of increasing the use and quality of solar energy in meeting energy needs of ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Africa Summit, and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. India hosted the founding conference of International Solar Alliance on March 11, 2018.

Correct Answer – D. 14

Explanation: Fourteen districts of Chhattisgarh on 10 September 2021 signed MoUs with the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) to boost the production of millets in their respective areas. As per the agreements, IIMR would provide technical assistance, ensure high-quality seeds to increase production, and extend support in setting up a seed bank.The 14 districts that have entered into agreements with IIMR are Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur, Rajnandgaon, Kawardha, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Balrampur, Koriya, Surajpur and Jashpur. The millets will be procured through Van Dhan societies of the Chhattisgarh Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation, and after processing, will be used in mid-day meal schemes, public distribution system and nutrition programmes.

Correct Answer – D. Narendra Modi

Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Sansad TV, a new channel formed by merging the Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV, on September 15, 2021. Veteran Congress leader Karan Singh, economist Bibek Debroy, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, and advocate Hemant Batra will host different shows on this new channel.  When Parliament is in session, Sansad TV will have two channels.

Correct Answer: B. Australia

Explanation: India is set to host the first-ever 2-2 Ministerial Dialogue with Australia on September 11, 2021. Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton from the Australian side will meet with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. India has 2-2 Ministerial format meetings with very few countries, including the USA and Japan.

Australia:

• Capital – Canberra.
• Currency – Australian dollar.
• Prime minister –  Scott Morrison.
• National Sport – Australian Rules football.