Daily GK & Current Affairs Quiz – 26th and 27th July 2020

Correct Answer: C. Ezhimala

Explanation: Largest Solar Power Plant at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala has been commissioned by the Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla. It is a 3 MW Solar Power Plant which has been set-up in line with the Indian Government’s initiative of ‘National Solar Mission’ which aims to achieve 100GW of solar power by 2022. The 3 MW Solar Power Plant established at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala is the largest in the Indian Navy and has an estimated life of 25 years. Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KELTRON) has executed the this project. The project will also support Naval Station Ezhimala in decreasing the carbon footprint.

Correct Answer: D. AIIMS Nagpur

Explanation: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur has designed and developed a ‘smart wristband’ for effective tracking and monitoring of Covid-19 positive and suspect patients. The new device, a wristband is designed in collaboration with IIT Jodhpur and IIT Nagpur looks to overcome the limitations of existing online mobile apps used for tracking and monitoring coronavirus patients.

About ‘smart wristband’:

• This device will operate on a technology that is more effective than the GPS system.
• The data collected through wristband will be collected and archived on cloud facilitating monitoring by health workers from a distance.
• Tracking through mobile apps is limited to the quarantined person’s movement.
• There is no mechanism at present to track symptoms which is the user’s subjective self-assessment.
• The existing mobile apps use GPS or cell tower triangulation methods for tracking location with an accuracy that may vary sometimes up to a radius of 1.5 to 2 kilometres.

Correct Answer – B. Pravasi Rojgar

Explanation: Bollywood actor, Sonu Sood has launched ‘Pravasi Rojgar’ app to help migrants to find job opportunities across India. The initiative will be supported by community outreach in the villages to find the right employment opportunities for migrant workers in different parts of the country.

About ‘Pravasi Rojgar’ app:

• The app features job opportunities from over 500 reputed companies related to construction, apparel, healthcare, engineering, BPOs, security, automobile, e-commerce and logistics sectors.
• Apart from this, the platform will also offer specific job training programmes like spoken English.
• Support centres, with a 24-hour helpline, have been set up in seven cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Correct Answer – C. 87th

Explanation:  The Central American country, Republic of Nicaragua became the 87th country to sign the International Solar Alliance(ISA) Framework Agreement. The agreement was signed by the Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations Jaime Hermida Castillo at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York.

• Capital of Nicaragua: Managua.
• Currency of Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Cordoba.
• President of Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega.
• International Solar Alliance Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.

About International Solar Alliance (ISA):

• The International Solar Alliance was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.
• It is a major global initiative for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, envisioning rapid deployment of solar energy units.
• The Alliance became a treaty-based intergovernmental body on 6th December 2017.

Correct Answer – B. 26th July

Explanation: Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on 26th July every year. On this day, the country remembers the extreme valour, sacrifice and exemplary courage of Indian soldiers during the 1999 Kargil war. This year nation is celebrating the 21 years of victory in Kargil war. It was in 1999 that a high altitude mountain war broke out along the peaks of Kargil near the Line of Control, the de-facto border that divides Kashmir between the two nations.

Correct Answer – B. Chhattisgarh

Explanation: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel has launched “Godhan Nyay Yojna”. The scheme will help to promote cattle rearing, ensure the safety of livestock, help cattle ranchers earn extra income, help in tackling the problem of open grazing by stray cattle and encourage the use of organic fertilizers as well as boost rural economy among other things.

About ‘Godhan Nyay Yojana’:

• Under the ‘Godhan Nyay Yojana’ Chhattisgarh government will purchase cow dung at the rate of Rs 2 per kg. This scheme will turn cow dung into a profitable commodity.
• The scheme also aims to make cow rearing economically profitable and to prevent open grazing in the state, as well as help with the problem of stray animals on roads and in urban areas.
• The women self-help groups will then prepare vermicompostfrom it, which will then be sold at Rs 8 per kg to farmers, while the dung will be utilized for other products.

Correct Answer – B. Alok Misra

Explanation: Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) has appointed Alok Misra as its new Chief Executive Officer & Director. The appointment will be effective from 1st August 2020. Dr Misra takes over from the present CEO, Harsh Shrivastava, who has put down his papers after spending over 2 years at MFIN. Dr. Alok Misra has around 28 years of professional experience in international development, rural finance, microfinance, inclusive finance and research at both policy and implementation level.

Correct Answer – C. Bank of Baroda

Explanation: India’s third-largest public sector bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched ‘Insta Click Savings Account’, a 100 per cent paperless digital self-assisted online savings account. Insta Click Savings Account uses a new form of digital KYC (know-your-customer) and Aadhaar-based OTP (one-time personal identification number) authentication of the customer, which can be operated from the bank’s website, through mobile phone, IPad, laptop, and PC. The account is activated in real-time, which means the customer can start transacting, using the Baroda M Connect Plus application with the MPIN received on the mobile number, immediately. The product also offers customers the option to subscribe to a wide range of digital channels like mobile banking, Internet banking, UPI (unified payments interface), and debit card.

• Bank of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat.
• Bank of Baroda MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.
• Bank of Baroda Tagline: India’s International Bank.

Correct Answer – C. Airtel Payments Bank

Explanation:  Airtel Payments Bank Ltd and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have collaborated in order to train and skill young people in rural areas on financial services and helping them in finding jobs and become entrepreneurs in the sector. The collaboration has an objective to design & conduct focused skill development programs for rural youth and enabling them to adopt the tools to boost online banking and digital financial services. After the completion of skill development programmes, both the organizations will leverage their industry connections to help the trainees find jobs. They will also encourage trainees to take up entrepreneurial roles such as distributors or resellers of financial services, in order to create more jobs in their local geographies.

Correct Answer – C. Turkmenistan

Explanation: World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council has granted the “Observer” status to the central Asian country Turkmenistan. After receiving the observer status from WTO, Turkmenistan has become the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with the trade body. Turkmenistan has become the 25th observer of the organization. Turkmenistan will now be able to reap the benefits of acquisition of the status as it would help the country to develop its economy, promote multilateral cooperation, attract foreign investment and develop international trade relations.

• Director-General of World Trade Organization: Roberto Azevedo.
• President of Turkmenistan: Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov; Currency: Turkmen manat.

Correct Answer – B. 60%

Explanation: Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State(MoS)(IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy stated that India will have around 60% of the installed capacity of the electricity generation from renewable resources by 2030, in the webinar on Energy Transition at the second pre-event hosted by The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2021 in collaboration with Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) India on 21st July 2020.

Correct Answer – A. Maldives

Explanation: India and Maldives inked an agreement to set up Geydoshu Mas Plant (Neighborhood Fish Processing Plants) at two islands in the Addu city of Maldives namely Maradhoo and Hulhudhoo. The Contract signing ceremony was held virtually in Addu City, which was attended by Maldives’ Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Sunjay Sudhir, along with other members of Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Correct Answer – B. MV Shejyoti

Explanation:  The first-ever container Ship “MV Shejyoti “from Kolkata (West Bengal) via Bangladesh’s Chattogram port has reached Agartala (Tripura), was flagged off by Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) Mansukh Mandaviya on July 16, 2020.

Correct Answer – D. Annie Ross

Explanation: Legendary Jazz Singer, Annie Ross passed away. She was born Annabelle McCauley Allan Short in Surrey, England, on July 25, 1930. She was a popular jazz singer in the 1950s before crossing over into a successful film career. Ross was appearing in “Superman III,” “Throw Momma From the Train” and Robert Altman’s films “The Player” and the Oscar-nominated “Short Cuts.” In 2014, Ross released the album “To Lady With Love,” a tribute to Billie Holiday.

Correct Answer – C. -6%

Explanation: As per the report of DBS (Formerly, Development Bank of Singapore), Singaporean brokerage, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will contract by 6% (-6%) in FY21 as the economy is yet to stabilize the COVID -19 infection curve and due to the caseload in the economically key states. This will affect the economy badly. In its earlier forecast, the brokerage had forecasted the growth as -4.8%.

Correct Answer – A. 1st December, 2020

Explanation: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has notified new sets of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packs by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008 vide GSR 458 (E) dated 21st July, 2020 “The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Third Amendment Rules, 2020”. The amended Rules will be applicable w.e.f. 1st December, 2020.

Correct Answer – C. Reliance Industries Limited

Explanation: As stock market data, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) becomes the 1st Indian company to reach Market Capitalisation (m-cap) of Rs 13 lakh crore. It becomes the world’s 48th largest company by m-cap, ahead of Abbott Labs, Oracle, Chevron and Unilever. It also crossed the stock price of Rs 2000 for the 1st time. Globally, Saudi Aramco is the company with the highest market cap of $1.7 trillion, followed by Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet. Reliance is the 10th highest m-cap company in Asia. China’s Alibaba Group is ranked 7th globally.

Correct Answer – B. Arun Kumar

Explanation:  The Director General of Railway Protection Force (RPF), Arun Kumar has been nominated as the Vice-Chairman of UIC (Union Internationale Des Chemins/International Union of Railways), Security Platform from July 2020 to July 2022. He will take over as Chairman of the Security Platform from July 2022 to July 2024. The decision to nominate Arun Kumar was taken during the 96th UIC General Assembly. International Union of Railways (UIC) develops and formulates analysis and policy positions on account of the rail sector in various matters related to security of persons, property and installations. It encourages the exchange of information as well as experience among the security agencies of UIC members.

• Headquarter of UIC : Paris, France.
• Director General of UIC: Francois Davenne.

Correct Answer – C. China

Explanation: China has successfully launched “Tianwen-1” its first independent mission to Mars. A Long March 5 rocket carrying the spacecraft ignited at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s tropical Hainan province. China had launched an orbiter destined for Mars on a Russian rocket in 2011, but the mission failed because the rocket malfunctioned. Tianwen-1, whose name means “Questions to Heaven,” is a combined orbiter, lander and rover that aims to explore the Martian environment and search for hints of life. The spacecraft will travel for about seven months until it reaches Mars. It will orbit the red planet for two to three months before attempting a landing.