Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 19th August 2021

Correct Answer: D. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Explanation: Direct selling FMCG firm Amway India has announced that it has appointed Olympian Saikhom Mirabai Chanu as the brand ambassador for Amway and its Nutrilite range of products. Chanu will spearhead the company’s campaigns focused on product ranges such as Nutrilite Daily, Omega and All Plant Protein among others. Chanu, a weightlifter, won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 49kg category.

Correct Answer – C. Mohammad Azam

Explanation: Mohammad Azam from Karimnagar district in Telangana has been awarded the National Youth Award recently by the Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur in Delhi for displaying exemplary leadership qualities. He has conducted several awareness programmes related to blood donation, organ donation and plantation programmes under the Haritha Haram project. The award carries an appreciation certificate and Rs 50,000 cash.Apart from these, he has also worked on water conservation, construction of soaking pits, works related to the Swachh Bharat mission and government welfare schemes, for the benefit of the people in various villages. He received the ‘Indira Gandhi NSS Award’ from then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. He was also awarded the Pratibha Puraskar award by the State government in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and the Rashtriya Gaurav Samman Award.

Correct Answer – B. 6 times

Explanation: Lionel Messi joined star-packed Paris St Germain after leaving Barcelona, the club where he had begun, after 21 years. Messi, a six-time winner of the Ballon d’Or for Europe’s best soccer player, signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain or PSG.Messi leaves Barcelona with 672 goals in 778 appearances, a record tally for one club. His trophy haul includes four Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.

Correct Answer – E. 16th August 1962

Explanation: Puducherry on 16th August celebrated its De Jure Transfer day. Speaker of the Puducherry Assembly, R. Selvam, paid floral tributes at the memorial in Kizhur, a remote hamlet in Puducherry, where the transfer of power took place on the same day in 1962. De Jure Transfer Day is the day it really got independence. The then Pondicherry was under French control well after 1947.The treaty of cession signed between the French and Indian governments was ratified by the French Parliament only on August 16, 1962. So on that day the “De-Jure”(The Legal Merger of the UT with the Indian Union) was effected. 178 representatives participated in the referendum in which 170 voted in favour of a merger with India and 8 against it.

Important Points:

• Chief Minister of Puducherry: N Rangasamy.

Correct Answer – A. Zambia

Explanation: In Zambia, opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development, has won the 2021 general Presidential election of the country.The 59-year-old Hichilema won with a landslide victory, winning 59.38% of the total vote.He will replace incumbent President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front. Last year, Zambia, Africa’s second-biggest copper miner, produced a record output of the metal.

Important Points:

• Zambia Capital: Lusaka;
• Zambia Currency: Zambian kwacha.

Correct Answer – A. Kotak Mahindra Bank

Explanation: Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL) has tied-up with Creditas Solution to launch a do-it-yourself (DIY) repayment platform for missed loan repayments.It is a Neo Collection platform to deliver a personalized and non-intrusive experience.

Correct Answer – B. Priyanka Chopra

Explanation:  Priyanka Chopra has been appointed as the Chairperson of Jio Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival.She replaced Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who stepped down from the position in April 2021.

Correct Answer – E. A and C

Explanation: Ministry of Tourism has signed MOU with MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited and Ibibo Group Private Limited to strengthen hospitality and tourism industry in the country especially in pandemic times.

Correct Answer – C. Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Explanation: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar is the author of the boom titled as ‘Lahore: Book 1 of the Partition Trilogy’, published by HarperCollins.

Correct Answer – B. Uttar Pradesh

Explanation: Uttar Pradesh govt has decided to set up a training centre for Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) commandos in Saharanpur’s Deoband, known for its Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband.

Correct Answer – C. 43rd

Explanation: Due to a dip in prime residential property prices, Indian hubs, including Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai slipped in their rankings in a global list of cities prepared by a consultant every quarter.As per a list prepared by Knight Frank, Bengaluru slipped to 43rd spot from 40th in the March quarter as the prices corrected by 2.7%.Mumbai’s ranking dropped to 40th while Delhi was at 37th.Prime residential property is defined as the most desirable and most expensive property in a given location, generally defined as the top 5 per cent of each market by value.The prime residential market average price in Bengaluru is ₹19,200 per sq ft, while the same for the financial capital is ₹63,697 per sq ft and Delhi ₹33,572 per sq ft.

Correct Answer – A. Rajasthan

Explanation: The Rajasthan government on 18 August 2021 informed that the state has emerged as a leading state in trading at National Agriculture Market (eNAM), since its inception until July 31, 2021. Rajasthan was the first state to allow conversion of all single trading licenses into a unified license to promote e-Trade of farm products. Till now, total 37346 traders are working as unified licensee traders. 43.07 lakh MT produce valued at 16,256.80 crores has been traded through eNAM platform. National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal that networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. The Centre launched the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) in April 2016.

Rajasthan:

• Chief Minister – Ashok Gehlot.
• Governor – Kalraj Mishra.
• Number of Districts – 33

Correct Answer – B. Tajikistan

Explanation:- Minister of State for Culture, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal participated in the SCO Culture Ministers Meeting on 18 August 2021 hosted by Tajikistan.The discussion was held on the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, prospects for cooperation in the field of culture within the SCO, including in the post-pandemic period, and the importance of cultural cooperation within the SCO. MoS, Culture cited India’s initiatives of online exhibition on ‘Shared Buddhist Heritage’ and translation of Indian Classics in official languages of SCO (Russian and Chinese). At the end of the meeting, the Regulations on Gala Concert of the Arts Festival of SCO Member States was agreed upon and signed by all Heads of Delegations of SCO Member States. The Shanghai cooperation organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia).

Correct Answer: A. BSNL

Explanation: Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) has signed an agreement with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on 18 August 2021. The agreement aims at making available high-quality and high-speed internet access to the States of North Eastern Region of the country. Under the Agreement, USOF will provide financial support to BSNL for a period of three years for hiring International Bandwidth.