Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 29th May 2021

Correct Answer: D. All of the above

Explanation: Corporal Yuvraj Singh, civilian peacekeeper Ivan Michael Picardo, and Moolchand Yadav are among those to be honoured with the UN’s prestigious medal. Corporal Yuvraj Singh was serving at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) while civilian peacekeeper Ivan Michael Picardo was associated with UNAMISS as a civil peacekeeper. Moolchand Yadav was associated with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).Three Indian peacekeepers, who laid down their lives while serving in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions last year, are among 129 military, police and civilian personnel honoured with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.India is the fifth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping with more than 5,500 military and police serving in peace operations in Abyei, Cyprus, Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan and Western Sahara, according to the UN.

Correct Answer – D. 16.8%, 7.2%

Explanation: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has published its annual report and highlights “asset quality of banks and their preparedness requires close monitoring for higher provisioning for upcoming quarters”. In its annual report, the central bank said the country’s growth prospects now essentially depend on how fast India can arrest the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

RBI Annual Report 2021:

RBI in its semi-annual financial stability report earlier highlighted bad loan ratio of banks could rise to 13.5% under the baseline stress scenario by September 2021.The Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) of banks improved from 66.6% in March 2020 to 75.5 % by December 2020, because of prudent provisioning by banks above regulatory prescriptions on accounts availing moratorium and undergoing restructuring.The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of banks increased to 15.9% by December 2020, in March it was 14.8%.In its report, RBI cautioned “banks being lenders will have to provide a true picture of bad loans after Supreme Court lifted the interim stay on classifying non-performing assets (NPA) in March 2021.According to it, waiver of compound interest on all loan accounts opted for a moratorium during March-August 2020 would put stress on the financial health of banks.The Gross NPA ratio of banks decreased from 8.2% in March 2020 to 6.8% in December 2020.The Gross NPA ratio for non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs) increased from 6.8% in March to 5.7% in December 2020.The capital adequacy ratio of NBFCs increased from 24.8% in December 2020 to 23.7% in March.Frauds reported by banks fell by 25% in value terms in just one year to Rs 1.38 lakh crore at the end of fiscal year ended March 2021, data released by the RBI as part of it annual report showed.The Reserve Bank of India on 27th May said banknotes in circulation witnessed a higher than the average increase during 2020-21, on account of precautionary holding of cash by people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its prolonged continuance. Value and volume of banknotes in circulation increased by 16.8% and 7.2% respectively in 2020-21.

Correct Answer – E. The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security

Explanation: The “International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers” is observed on May 29 annually. The day is celebrated to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. The day was designated by United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 2002, and first celebrated in 2003. The 2021 Theme: “The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security.”

Correct Answer – B. Syria

Explanation: Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad has been re-elected for the fourth straight 7-year term in a landslide victory, winning 95.1 per cent of the total votes cast. The 55-year-old Assad is serving as the 19th President of Syria since 17 July 2000. On the eve of the election, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said the poll was “neither free nor fair”, and Syria’s fragmented opposition has called it a “farce”

Important Points:

• Syria Capital: Damascus; Currency: Syrian pound.

Correct Answer- E. Paris, France

Explanation: Historian Laurence des Cars becomes the first female president of Musée du Louvre, the world’s largest museum in Paris, France in 228 years. She was appointed as the first female president of Musée du Louvre by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. Laurence des Cars, 54, is currently heading the Musée d’Orsay, the Paris landmark museum which is dedicated to 19th-century art.On September 1, 2021, she will replace the current president, Jean-Luc Martinez, who had been heading the Orsay museum for the past eight years.

Important Points:

• France Capital: Paris.
• France President: Emmanuel Macron.
• France Prime minister: Jean Castex
• France Currency: Euro.

Correct Answer – B. Karnataka

Explanation: Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) B S Yediyurappa, launched an online portal named ‘Akanksha‘ to provide comprehensive details on all the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the state. It is the first of its kind initiative in India.The portal was created by the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, Karnataka in collaboration with UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre (SDGCC).NITI Ayog (The National Institution for Transforming India) Chief Executive Officer, Amitabh Kant also participated in the launch virtually.

Correct Answer – C. Andy Jassy

Explanation:  Andy Jassy (Amazon Web Services founder) will be replacing the current CEO of Amazon by replacing Jeff Bezos in the second half of 2021.Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 and has led Amazon’s Web Services cloud team since its inception.

Correct Answer – D. Formula One

Explanation: Max Mosley, the former head of Formula One’s governing body, has died at the age of 81 after suffering from cancer.The youngest son of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British fascist movement in the 1930s.Mosley was a racing driver, team owner and lawyer before becoming president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in 1993.

Correct Answer – A. P R Sreejesh

Explanation:  India hockey team goalkeeper P R Sreejesh was on Thursday appointed as a member of the FIH Athletes’ Committee.Sreejesh was one of the four new members appointed by the EB which met two days before the 47th FIH Congress.Sreejesh Parattu (IND), Marlena Rybacha (POL), Mohamed Mea (RSA), and Matt Swann (AUS) are now joining the Committee.The 33-year-old Sreejesh is one of the senior-most and decorated players of the Indian team.

Correct Answer – A. Conor McGregor

Explanation: Forbes released its list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2021, marking the very top earners in the sports industry based on their earnings derived from prize money, salaries, bonuses and endorsements during the past 12 months (between May 1, 2020 and May, 2021).This year, MMA fighter Conor McGregor tops the list with US$180 million in total earnings, edging past the two football legends Lionel Messi (#2) and Cristiano Ronaldo (#3) who’ve been topping the charts consistently in the past few years. Read on to discover the full list and find out how much do the superstars make.

Correct Answer – B. Sonam Norbu Dagpo

Explanation: Penpa Tsering was sworn in as President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Dharamshala-based Tibetan government-in-exile on 27 May 2021.Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo administered the oath to Penpa Tsering.Penpa is the second democratically-elected Sikyong (President) of the 17th Parliament-in-Exile of the Central Tibetan Administration.

Correct Answer – C. India

Explanation: The second BRICS Sherpas’ and Sous Sherpas’ meeting was convened under India’s chairship on 28 May 2021.BRICS countries held second Sherpas and Sous Sherpas’ meeting for four days from May 25 to May 28, 2021.The meeting was chaired by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Sanjay Bhattacharyya and Additional Secretary (Economic Relations), P. Harish, as India’s BRICS Sherpa and Sous Sherpa respectively.BRICS is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs.

Correct Answer – B. 16

Explanation:  Delegates at the World Health Assembly on 27 May 2021 approved a 16 per cent increase to WHO’s proposed budget for the next two years.The budgetary increase sets about USD 6.1 billion.More than 90 per cent of WHO’s funding is tied to specific health issues, and the agency often struggles to respond to urgent crises.

WHO:

• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.
• Founded In – 1948.
• Director-General – Tedros Adhanom.

Correct Answer – C. BVR Subrahmanyam

Explanation: The government has announced the appointment of BVR Subrahmanyam as the new Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and Secretary, Commerce.Subrahmanyam, 1987-Batch IAS officer, is the incumbent Chief Secretary of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

Other appointment:Vishnu Kumar Sharma, presently Director in the Ministry has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of South Sudan.