Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 29th December 2020

Correct Answer: D. 100%

Explanation: The Union Cabinet approved revised guidelines for Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting services, allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as increasing the licence period to 20 years. Due to our I&B guidelines, this field was not getting the benefit of 100 per cent FDI. After changing the guidelines, the guidelines will have the same guidelines as the Commerce Ministry and will come under 100 per cent FDI. Under the revised guidelines the licenses will be issued for a period of 20 years, compared to 10 years at the moment, and will be renewed for a 10-year period. The license fee has been revised from 10 per cent of gross revenue (GR) to 8 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which will be calculated by deduction of GST from GR.

Correct Answer – D. NTPC

Explanation: Country’s largest power producer, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has been conferred “Excellence” in the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2020 in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Domain. NTPC has been honoured in the Corporate Excellence Category, Commendation for Significant Achievement. This is the highest award conferred by CII-ITC in CSR domain. NTPC is the only PSU to receive the award in the Corporate Excellence category. NTPC wins the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards in Corporate Excellence category second time in a row i.e. in the year 2019 and 2020.

Correct Answer – D. Central Board of Film Certification

Explanation: The Cabinet approved the merger of four government-run film and media units — the Films Division, the Directorate of Film Festivals, the National Film Archives of India and the autonomous body Children’s Film Society, with the National Film Development Corporation. The merger of Film Media Units under one corporation will lead to convergence of activities and resources and better coordination, thereby ensuring synergy and efficiency in achieving the mandate of each media unit. This will lead to a reduction in duplication of activities and direct savings to the exchequer.

Correct Answer – B. Madhav Bhandari

Explanation:  Maharashtra former Chief Minister and present leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis has released the book ‘Ayodhya’ written by Madhav Bhandari. The book will serve as a key reference document summarising the protests held for the cause of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Correct Answer – B. 7%

Explanation: According to 11th Edition of Emissions Gap Report 2020 (Annual report) released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The Global CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) Emissions are set to fall by 7% in 2020 owing to Pandemic. The report states that emissions of the richest 1% of the Global Population (Countries like United States of America (USA), European Union (EU), Australia and New Zealand) account for more than twice of the share of poorest 50% of countries.

Global GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions continued to rise in 2019. 52.4 GtCO2e (Gigatonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide) without land-use change (LUC) and 59.1 GtCO2e including LUC. During the last decade (2010-20) the top four emitters (China, USA, EU 27+United Kingdom and India) contributed to 55% of Total GHG emission without LUC.

Correct Answer – D. SBI General Insurance

Explanation: SBI General Insurance has partnered with IntrCity RailYatri, a multi-modal intercity mobility platform, to offer domestic travel insurance. The insurance would be offered to bus travelers opting to commute through IntrCity RailYatri, it would be a complimentary travel cover worth Rs 5 lakh which will come along with the travel ticket. Under the travel insurance, SBI General Insurance would provide a wide variety of coverage including accidental death, permanent total disability, and medical evacuation.

Correct Answer – D. Andhra Pradesh

Explanation: In a first of its kind initiative,the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), headquartered in Kochi, has launched a multilingual call centre for aquafarmers at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, which will address their technical issues and impart knowledge about efficient farming methods round the clock. The call centre primarily caters to aqua farmers of Andhra Pradesh, the state that contributes more than 60 per cent of the country’s marine products export basket. The call centre can also handle calls in English and Hindi.

Correct Answer – B. IIT-BHU

Explanation: Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will set up its Regional Academic Center for Space (RAC-S) at IIT-BHU. In this regard a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between IIT-BHU and ISRO to pave the way for advanced research in the future technology of the Indian space program. IIT-BHU will act as a catalyst for capacity building, awareness creation and R & D activities of ISRO. The activities of RAC-S shall be directed to maximize the utilization of research potential, infrastructure, expertise available at ISRO and IIT-BHU.

Correct Answer – A. 59,000

Explanation:  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved changes in the centrally sponsored Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme to benefit more than four crore Scheduled Caste students in the next five years. It approved a total investment of over ₹ 59,000 crore for the purpose. The scheme allows students to pursue any course from class 11, with the govt providing for the cost of education.

Correct Answer – B. IIT- Jodhpur

Explanation: IIT Jodhpur and WhizHack Technologies Private Limited have signed an MoU. They will establish a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for innovations in Cyber Security, AI, and IoT. This CoE is being set up for the purpose of advancing scientific and technological products and services for protecting assets of India’s strategic importance like government infrastructure.

Correct Answer – C. NITI Aayog

Explanation: NITI Aayog has launched indigenously developed India’s first Digital Asset Management and Storage platform, called ‘DigiBoxx’. The initiative will give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, as India now has its own cloud storage platform. This cloud storage and file sharing service will be available for desktop, iOS, and Android users, including both regular users as well as businesses. Digiboxx offers free 20GB cloud storage space, and 100GB space per month at just Rs 30.

Correct Answer – A. HDFC Bank

Explanation: HDFC Bank is the top-ranked company among the 100 Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) companies in the country, as per the BFSI Movers and Shakers 2020 report by Wizikey. HDFC Bank has topped because of its customer service, monetary management, and innovative offerings amid the coronavirus pandemic. ICICI Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) are ranked second and third, respectively. Other top 10 banks in 2020 Wizikey’s BFSI Movers and Shakers report are Yes Bank, PNB, HSBC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bank of Baroda, Deutsche Bank, and IDBI.

Other Category Winner:

• Wallet and UPI segment: Google Pay.
• Neo Banks segment: YONO.
• Payments bank category: Airtel Payments Bank.

Correct Answer – B. Subhadra Local Area Bank Ltd

Explanation:  The Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the banking licence issued to Subhadra Local Area Bank Ltd., Kolhapur, Maharashtra to carry on banking business in India. The Reserve Bank cancelled the licence of the Subhadra Local Area Bank Ltd as it had breached the minimum net worth requirement for two quarters in the financial year 2019-20.

Correct Answer: B. England

Explanation: Former English first-class batsman John Edrich has passed away. He was amongst the best players of his generation, during a career that ran from 1956 to 1978. He played 77 test matches for England, and scored more than 5,000 runs, spanning 13 years between 1963 and 1976. He scored a triple-century during a test match in 1965 that is the fifth-highest Test score for England.