Important G.K. & Current Affairs Questions – 1st February 2019

Correct Answer – B. Nine

Explanation: IndiaFirst Life Insurance said it has bought nine per cent stake in CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd. IndiaFirst Life Insurance is a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal and General (UK), while CSC is an integral part of Digital India initiative of the government under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Correct Answer – C. 54th

Explanation: In a major breakthrough with regard to recognition of India amid the global space, India has been ranked in Bloomberg’s 2019 list of most innovative countries in the world — 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index – for the first time ever. India has grabbed 54th spot in the Bloomberg Innovation Index with a score of 47.93 out of 100 in ‘2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index’ of 60 economies. United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Vietnam, Brazil, Kuwait, Qatar, Chile, Argentina, Slovenia are the countries which have been ranked for the first time.

Correct Answer – C. Punjab

Explanation: To improve rural infrastructure, the Punjab ministerial cabinet on Tuesday approved the ‘Smart Village Campaign’ by allocating Rs 384 crore to the project. The campaign is aimed at improving conditions in rural areas by supplementing government schemes for building infrastructure and providing essential amenities in infrastructure, health, education and environment. The state government has divided work to be undertaken under the campaign into two — essential work and desirable work. Under the campaign, the deputy commissioner would get proposals from the block development and panchayat officers concerned and from sectoral departments. As per the scheme, individual works up to Rs 25 lakh would be considered and approved by the committee comprising the deputy commissioner and the additional deputy commissioner (development) as its chairperson and member secretary, respectively.

Correct Answer – C. Sikkim

Explanation: Union Minister for Tourism K J Alphons on January 30th, 2019 inaugurated the first project under the Swadesh Darshan Project of the Union Ministry of Tourism at the Zero Point, Sikkim. The Ministry of Tourism officially named the project as ‘Development of North East Circuit: Rangpo– Rorathang- Aritar- Phadamchen- Nathang-Sherathang- Tsongmo- Gangtok-Phodong- Mangan- Lachung-Yumthang- Lachen- Thangu-Gurudongmer- Mangan- Gangtok-Tuminlingee- Singtam’.

Correct Answer – B. Real Estate Investment Trusts

Explanation: SEBI has proposed a new set of framework for REITs and InvITs in order to provide flexibility to the issuers in terms of fund raising and increasing the access of these investment vehicles to investors. Under the proposal, minimum allotment and trading lot for publicly issued REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) will be reduced

Correct Answer – D. Piyush Goyal

Explanation: Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will receive the Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions, with a team from the University of Pennsylvania coming here to felicitate him on January 30. The former power minister, who was to be awarded the prize by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design in October last year, had to skip the event because of the Amritsar tragedy in which over 60 people died after being mowed down by a train. The award recognises Goyal’s tenure as minister of power in which he is credited to have “reformed” the electricity sector and extended access to electricity to 18,000 villages, as documented by the International Energy Agency. “Now as Minister of Coal and Railways, the Minster is courageously confronting the complexity of ending energy poverty while transitioning to clean energy,” the president of the centre said in his message.

Correct Answer – B. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

Explanation: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has been renamed as the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade with a mandate to deal with matters related to start-ups, facilitating ease of doing business among others. The newly-named department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will look into matters related to promotion of internal trade, including retail trade, welfare of traders and their employees, facilitating ease of doing business and start-ups, the order approved by President Ram Nath Kovind said.

Correct Answer – E. None of these

Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi in Gujarat on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary today. The memorial is a tribute to the 80 marchers who accompanied Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati to Dandi in 1930.

Correct Answer – D. 78th

Explanation: Global corruption index for 2018 is out and India has improved its ranking by three positions. India, which was at the 81st place in 2017, has moved up to 78th place in 2018, said reports. It seems that President Xi Jinping’s high profile anti-graft campaign has not made much of an impact as China’s ranking on perceived corruption has fallen to 87, below India according to the annual index by global watchdog Transparency International.

Correct Answer  – B. New Delhi

Explanation: Food regulator FSSAI-led ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’, a pan-India cyclothon to sensitise people about eating safe food and being healthy, concluded Tuesday at Connaught Place in the national capital. In this national campaign launched on October 16 last year, Tamil Nadu bagged the best state award for its active participation. Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey gave awards to winners. Speaking on the sidelines of an event, the minister advised people to reduce the intake of sugar, salt and cooking oils in their diets. He complemented the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for organising this big campaign under the ‘Eat Right India’ movement. FSSAI’s CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said the cyclothon is the first step in creating awareness about safe and nutritious food and the central regulator as well as state food enforcement agencies would sustain this movement.