Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 17th October 2020

Correct Answer: B. Harish Kotecha

Explanation: Indian-origin philanthropist Harish Kotecha has been awarded the prestigious Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award. He was awarded in recognition of his work in the US for meeting the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The lifetime achievement award from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) was presented to him on 9 October 2020.

Correct Answer – B. Paytm

Explanation: Paytm has announced the launch of same-day settlement facility for all kinds of fund transfers on its payment gateway. This will help business partners to settle money transfers anytime in their bank account on the same day of receiving payment, without waiting for the next day. This feature will help businesses that depend upon immediate availability of funds to pay down-stream partners.

Correct Answer – C. IIT Madras

Explanation: IIT Madras has developed an antimicrobial food wrapping material. The novel material is biodegradable and can prevent the contamination of packaged food by bacteria during storage. It can reduce plastic waste when disposing of the wrappers. The anti-bacterial wrapper when disposed degrades four to 98 percent within 21 days, depending on the moisture in the environment.

Correct Answer – B. Bank of Ghana

Explanation:  “Bank of Ghana” has won the Central bank of the year award 2020. Apart from this, Mark Carney (Governor of the Bank of England) has won the Governor of the year at the Central bank of the year award 2020. Central Banking Awards is held annually to recognize excellence in the central banking community. This was the 7th edition of the award and the ceremony was held virtually on.

• Governor of Bank of Ghana: Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison.
• Bank of Ghana Headquarters: Accra, Ghana.
• Bank of Ghana Founded:

Correct Answer – D. Arunachal Pradesh

Explanation: Arunachal Pradesh will feature on country’s aviation map with a greenfield airport at Hollongi, 15 kilometers from Itanagar. The terminal will be an energy-efficient building provisioned with a Rain Water Harvesting system and sustainable landscape. The new domestic airport, with an area of 4,100 square meters, will be able to handle 200 passengers during peak hours.

Correct Answer – D. Ravi Shankar Prasad

Explanation: The 7th Meeting of Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States will be hosted by Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on 16th October 2020. Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta will also host the Second Meeting of the Experts Working Group on 13th and 14th of October, 2020.

Correct Answer – B. HDFC Bank

Explanation: India’s leading private sector bank, HDFC Bank, and Apollo Hospitals have collaborated to launch the “HealthyLife Programme”, a holistic healthcare solution. This program will be launched for HDFC Bank customers, to make healthy living accessible and affordable while making the process convenient and easy for the customers.

Customers will get round the clock access to emergency Apollo Doctor at No Cost on Apollo’s digital platform, Apollo 24|7. It will also come with various other benefits such as choice of payment options and ease of finance for treatments at all Apollo Hospitals. Customers can avail unsecured loans of up to Rs. 40 lakh to pay for medical expenses incurred at the healthcare chain.

Correct Answer – C. 16th October

Explanation: World Food Day (WFD) is observed globally on 16 October every year. The day is celebrated to eradicate worldwide hunger from our lifetime. This day generates awareness globally for those who suffer from hunger and to ensure the need for food security and nutritious diets for all. Theme 2020: “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”. The main focus of this day is that food is a basic and fundamental human right. WFD commemorates the day in 1945 when the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded.

• FAO Head: Qu Dongyu
• FAO Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
• FAO Established: 16 October 1945.

Correct Answer – B. USD 400 million

Explanation:  The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on behalf of the Government of India has extended a Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 400 million (about Rs 2,932 crore) to the Maldives. The soft loan will be used for financing the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) in the Maldives, which is the single-largest connectivity and infrastructure project in the island nation. LoCs or soft loans are concessional loans that are offered at cheap rates. The soft loans to the Maldives have funded connectivity, water, sewerage projects, Addu Development Project, an international cricket stadium, Gulhifalhu port, Hanimaadhoo airport and road construction work.

Correct Answer – C. Odisha

Explanation: Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated “Sujal”, ‘Drink from Tap Mission’ scheme, to provide round the clock supply of quality tap drinking water in all urban areas of the state. The state has set the target to provide piped water connections to all urban areas in the state by March 2022. Odisha government has set Rs 1300 crore for this scheme which will benefit over 15 lakh people in 15 towns in a phased manner. Once fully implemented, Odisha will become the first state in the country to provide quality drinking water, fit for direct consumption, in urban areas.

Correct Answer – B. Australia

Explanation: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga rejuvenation, India and Managing Aquifer Recharge and Sustaining Groundwater use through village-level intervention (MARVI) PARTNERS, Australia. The MoU has been signed to promote cooperation in surface and groundwater training, education and research to achieve water security for agricultural, urban, industrial and environmental purposes.

Correct Answer – C. EpiVacCorona

Explanation: Russia has given regulatory approval to a second Covid-19 vaccine, named ‘EpiVacCorona’, after early-stage studies. The new coronavirus vaccine comes two months after a similar move for Russia’s first vaccine Sputnik V prompted widespread criticism from scientists both at home and abroad. Russia became the first country to give regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine in August when Sputnik V was officially registered ahead of the large-scale clinical trial. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country has registered the second Covid-19 vaccine.

Correct Answer – D. Malayalam

Explanation: Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, the Malayalam poet who was popularly known as Akkitham passed away recently. The noted poet had also received the 55th Jnanpith Award last year. He even received a Padma Shri for his critical essays and short stories. Akkitham also won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1973. He became a household name in the 1950s when his work Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam, a khandakavya, which is one of the first modernist poems of Malayalam literature, gained popularity. It even won the Sanjayan Award in 1952.

Correct Answer: C. New Zealand

Explanation: Former New Zealand cricket allrounder, John Richard Reid passed away. He was also New Zealand’s oldest surviving Test player. He was the first cricketer to lead New Zealand to a Test victory. Reid scored 3428 runs in 58 Test matches with an average of 33.28, hitting 22 half-centuries and six centuries in a career that spanned over 16 years. His maiden Test century, a knock of 135, came against South Africa in Cape Town in 1954.