Daily GK & Current Affairs Quiz – 29th July 2020

Correct Answer: B. World Health Organization

Explanation: The World Health Organization (WHO) along with other key bodies had launched COVID-19 Law Lab (www.COVIDLawLab.org). It is a database of laws that countries had implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help countries to establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic across the world. This is the 1st initiative to start studying governance response to a pandemic and to measure what works and what not. The lab is a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

Correct Answer – D. 3rd

Explanation: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently released Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) report. According to the report, India ranked third among top 10 countries where forest cover has increased in the last decade. The Food and Agriculture Organization bring out the report once in every five years. The report assesses state of forests in the member countries, their conditions and management. According to the report, the top 5 countries that have gained forest area between 2010 and 2020 are:

1. China
2. Australia
3. India
4. Chile
5. Vietnam

Correct Answer – C. Naveen Tahilyani

Explanation: Naveen Tahilyani has been appointed by Tata AIA Life Limited as its Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will take over from the current CEO Rishi Srivastava, who has been appointed as chief executive officer, group agency distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong. Tahilyani was roped in by Axis Bank as group executive- head of banking operations and transformation. Naveen Tahilyani was the CEO of Hong Kong’s AIA Group’s partnership business distribution until 2019. He has also served as the CEO and Managing Director of Tata AIA from 2015 to 2018.

Correct Answer – B. UPI AutoPay

Explanation: UPI AutoPay facility for recurring payment has been launched by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The new facility will enable recurring e-mandate with the help of any Unified Payments Interface (UPI) application for recurring payments like mobile bills, electricity bills, EMI payments etc upto Rs. 2000. For the amount exceeding Rs. 2000, the customer has to execute every mandate with UPI PIN. UPI users will be able to create e-mandate through UPI ID, QR scan or Intent. Customers will also be able to create, approve, modify, pause as well as revoke auto debit mandate from the ‘Mandate’ section of the UPI-enabled application. For their reference and records, customers would also be having the option of viewing their past mandates. Customer can set the mandate for one-time, daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly.

Correct Answer – C. Amazon pay

Explanation: Amazon Pay, the payments arm of Amazon India has partnered with Acko General Insurance Ltd to offer auto insurance for two and four-wheelers in India, a 100% paperless insurance plan. Customers can avail this auto insurance from Amazon Pay page, Amazon app or mobile website and can get a quote for their car or bike’s insurance by providing basic details.

Correct Answer – C. S Hussain Zaidi

Explanation: Crime writer, S Hussain Zaidi has penned a new novel “The Endgame” which talks of politics, betrayal, and unimaginable terror. The book has been published by HarperCollins India. “The Endgame” gives the readers a close-up of complex political machinery at work, including state security, defence services, and intelligence agencies like – all building up to an explosive climax. Zaidi has also authored “Black Friday”, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”, “Dongri to Dubai” and “Byculla to Bangkok”. He was the associate producer of an HBO documentary, “Terror in Mumbai”, based on the 26/11 terror attacks.

Correct Answer – D. IFFCO Tokio

Explanation: Digital payments platform PhonePe partnered with ‘ICICI Lombard’ to launch ‘Hospital Daily Cash benefit’ under Group Safeguard Insurance. It is a customised hospitalisation policy that allows PhonePe users to get an assured amount on hospitalisation due to injury or illnesses including Covid-19. PhonePe users aged 18-65 can get this policy without prior medical tests. PhonePe users can buy the insurance through the app, from the “My Money” section.

Correct Answer – C. North Korea

Explanation: The government of India has extended medical assistance worth about USD 1 million in the form of anti-tuberculosis medicines to North Korea. The medical assistance was extended in response to a request received from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and was granted under the aegis of an ongoing WHO anti-tuberculosis programme in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The consignment of anti-tuberculosis medicines was handed over by Indian Ambassador to DPRK Atul Malhari Gotsurve to DPRK authorities in the presence of a WHO representative.

Correct Answer – C. Veli Band

Explanation:  The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K), has developed a wearable hand band Known as the “Veli Band” that helps in maintaining social distancing by sending out an alarm in case of proximity with another person. The device has been developed by Qual5 India Pvt.Ltd, a startup co-founded by a woman entrepreneur, mentored and funded by IIMKs business incubator and entrepreneurship development centre.

• Veli Band helps implement social distancing and location/contact tracing which can help organisations comply with social distancing norms during the current pandemic situation.
• The band momentarily vibrates, sounds buzzer, and flashes LED simultaneously to notify wearers that another band is within 3 feet (1 metre), reminding them of the need to maintain social distance.
• The device, to be worn on the wrist, can anonymously keep track of interactions with other devices and thus not only help in maintaining a safer workplace but also aid in tracking employee movements in real-time.
• The band comes with a rechargeable battery and uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology for detection.

Correct Answer – C. India

Explanation: India builds one kilometer (km) long World’s first electrified rail tunnel that fits double stack containers. It cuts through Aravalli mountain on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) near Sohna, Haryana. The project is implemented by the DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited).

Correct Answer – C. Jammu and Kashmir

Explanation: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu has announced the launch of a ‘Macadamisation Program’ for the improvement of roads across Jammu and Kashmir. Murmu has approved a program for 100 percent Macadamisation of all roads in the Union Territory including 11,000 km of fair-weather roads. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor also announced a release of Rs 200 Crores to the Public Works Department as the first tranche so that the Macadamisation work on priority roads can commence. The prioritization criteria will include when a road was last macadamized, whether it was part of the grievances presented before Lieutenant Governor during his outreach tours, the present quality of the road and other similar factors.

Correct Answer – B. Sri Lanka

Explanation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed an agreement for extending a $400-million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka. This currency swap is used to boost the foreign reserves and ensure the financial stability of the country, which is badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The currency swap arrangement will remain available till November 2022. Sri Lanka was set to enter into an agreement with the RBI for a currency swap worth $400 million under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework.

Correct Answer – A. West Bangal

Explanation:  Eminent danseuse and choreographer Amala Shankar passed away. She was honored with the West Bengal government’s Banga Bibhusan award in 2011 for her contributions to art. First performance of Amala Shankar was in Kaliya Daman which was staged in Belgium in 1931. She also acted in the film “Kalpana” which was released in 1948. She gave her last performance at the age of 92, in the dance drama Sita Swayamvar, where she played the role of King Janaka.

Correct Answer – C. Benjamin Mkapa

Explanation: Tanzania’s Former President, Benjamin Mkapa passed away. He served as the third president of the country, from 1995 to 2005, before handing over power to the fourth president Jakaya Kikwete. He held several cabinet posts, such as foreign minister and information minister and also served as ambassador to the United States before he was elected president.