Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 20th & 21st December 2020

Correct Answer: D. Steel Authority of India Limited

Explanation: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been awarded the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for the year 2020 in the Steel Sector by the Institute of Directors. The company has been the winner of this award for successive two years and this bears testimony to the efforts made by it for sustainable and environmentally responsible steel making. This award is one of the most coveted awards in the category.

Correct Answer – A. Raja Chari

Explanation: NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have selected Indian-American Raja Chari to be the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station. Presently Raja Chari,  is a colonel in the US Air Force. He will be the commander of SpaceX Crew-3 mission, while Nasa’s Tom Marshburn will be pilot and ESA’s Matthias Maurer will serve as a mission specialist. This mission is expected to be launched next year.

When Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer arrive at the orbiting laboratory, they will become expedition crew members for the duration of their six-month stay. The crew will have a slight overlap with the Crew-2 astronauts, who are expected to launch in the spring of 2021.

Chari was born in Milwaukee, but considers Cedar Falls, Iowa, his hometown. Raja Chari’s father Srinivas Chari left for the US from Hyderabad at a young age for an engineering degree. He is a colonel in the US Air Force and joins the mission with extensive experience as a test pilot. For Raja Chari, this will be the first spaceflight. He became a Nasa astronaut in 2017.

Correct Answer – B. Kylie Jenner

Explanation: American media personality and reality TV star, Kylie Jenner has been crowned the highest-paid celebrity of 2020 by Forbes. The top-earning stars in the world earned a combined of $6.1 billion in 2020 with Kylie Jenner. Setting aside Kylie’s history with Forbes, the financial experts there calculated her earning this year to be at $590 million after she sold a majority of her beauty brand’s stake to Coty Inc.

Ranked at number 2 on the list by making $170 million was American rapper and record producer Kanye West, who is also coincidentally Kylie’s brother-in-law. In addition to Tyler Perry, Howard Stern, and Dwayne Johnson, A-lister athletes like Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar and LeBron James helped round out the top 10. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entertainment industry, this year’s combined total of USD 6.1 billion was USD 200 million lesser than that of 2019.

Correct Answer – D. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Explanation:  Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced an investment of $150 million (approx Rs 1100 crore) to set up a Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad, Telangana. FCA’s new innovation and technology development facility will be the company’s largest Digital Hub outside of North America. The digital hub will create nearly 1,000 new cutting-edge technology jobs by the end of 2021.

Correct Answer – B. Odisha

Explanation: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has approved a package of ₹289.42 cr for MSMEs that have been facing challenges amid the pandemic. The package includes assistance measures such as interest subvention, reimbursement of state GST and waiver of annual institutional maintenance charges. It will help entrepreneurs, mostly women and those from the weaker sections, to overcome unexpected challenges.

Correct Answer – C. ₹185 crores

Explanation: Wakefit.co has raised ₹185 crores as a part of its Series B funding round led by a European investment firm, Verlinvest. The round also saw participation from existing investor, Sequoia Capital India. With the new fundraise, the company will look at accelerating its growth as it looks to expand its product portfolio in home furnishings, and achieve revenue worth ₹1000 crores by 2023-fiscal.

Correct Answer – A. SBI General Insurance

Explanation: SBI General Insurance has partnered with IntrCity RailYatri to provide complimentary travel insurance of ₹5 lakh to bus commuters opting to travel through IntrCity RailYatri. The travel cover is offered on buying the ticket. Under this partnership, SBI General insurance will provide a wide variety of coverage including accidental death, permanent total disability, and medical evacuation.

Correct Answer – C. Vidyut Mohan

Explanation: The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP has named seven person for this year’s “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 award. A 29-year-old Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of the prestigious “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 prize given by the UN environment agency to global change-makers using innovative ideas and ambitious action to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Vidyut Mohan, an engineer, is the co-founder of “Takachar”, a social enterprise enabling farmers to prevent open burning of their waste farm residues and earn extra income by converting them into value-added chemicals like activated carbon on-site, UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Correct Answer – B. USD 1 million

Explanation: India has pledged a sum of USD 1 million to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), towards its scientific research budget, to ensure an atmosphere of Clean Sport globally. The contribution made by India is the highest among contributions made by other world governments, including China, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This contribution is over and above the annual contribution made to WADA’s core budget by India. The sum will be used by WADA to develop innovative anti-doping testing and detection methods, and further strengthen WADA’s independent Investigations and Intelligence Department. The total contribution of all member nations will be matched by an equal sum by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to create a corpus of USD 10 million.

Correct Answer – D. Bangladesh

Explanation: The Government of India and Bangladesh held a virtual summit to hold comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship, including further strengthening cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era. The meeting was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina. The two leaders jointly inaugurated the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link, which would connect the borders of the two neighbouring countries. The rail route lies between Haldibari in West Bengal and Chilahati in Bangladesh. It is re-opened after a gap of 55 years. The railway line has been defunct after rail links between India and then East Pakistan snapped in 1965.

Both the leaders also digitally inaugurated the digital exhibition in the honour of Mahatma Gandhi and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. The Indian side also released a postal stamp to commemorate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Apart from this, the two sides signed 7 MoUs and agreements in various fields.

Correct Answer – D. Robert Lewandowski

Explanation: The Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski has been named The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2020, beating off competition from last year’s winner Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 32-year-old Lewandowski, top scorer in Europe and winner of the Champions League with Bayern. Manchester City full-back, Lucy Bronze won the women’s best player award, becoming the first female English player to take the prize. It is the first occasion for both Lewandowski and Bronze to win the award, with the Pole only the second player after Luka Modric in 2018 to break a 13-year Messi-Ronaldo hegemony.

Correct Answer – D. 20th December

Explanation: International Human Solidarity Day is observed globally on 20 December every year to celebrate unity in diversity and raise awareness about the importance of solidarity. According to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, solidarity is among the fundamental values that are essential to international relations.

Correct Answer – C. Justice S. Muralidhar

Explanation:  The Supreme Court Collegium appointed Justice S. Muralidhar as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. At present, Justice Muralidhar is a Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. He assumed the office of Judge at the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on March 6, 2020. He was initially appointed as a Judge to the High Court of Delhi in May 2006.

Correct Answer – B. Wrestler

Explanation: Noted Indian wrestler, Sripati Khanchanale, who had won the prestigious ‘Hind Kesari’ title in 1959, passed away. In 1959, Khanchanale won the ‘Hind Kesari’ title by defeating wrestler Rustam-e-Punjab Battasingh at the New Railway Stadium in Delhi. The prestigious ‘Hind Kesari’ title commands the highest respect in the Indian wrestling world. He was also a recipient of the Shiv Chhatrapati award, which is given by the Maharashtra government.