Important G.K. & Current Affairs Questions – 5th January 2019

Correct Answer – A. January 4

Explanation: World Braille Day is celebrated every year on January 4th because it is Louis Braille’s birthday, the inventor of braille! Louis was born in 1809 in France. He became blind after a childhood accident, and he quickly mastered his new way of living. When he was just 15 years old, he created the system we know today as braille, based on a system of writing developed by Charles Barbier. Over the years braille was tweaked to make it easier to read, and now it’s used the world over!

Correct Answer – B. Disputes

Explanation: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), was established to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.

Correct Answer – B. AK Sikri

Explanation: Justice AK Sikri was nominated as the Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). President Ram Nath Kovind nominated Justice Sikri as Executive Chairman of NALSA with effect from December 31, 2018. The post got vacant after the retirement of Justice Madan B Lokur. The NALSA was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society and to organise Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.

Correct Answer – D. Sudhanshu Saraf

Explanation: Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) said Sudhanshu Saraf has been appointed as chief executive officer (CEO) of its steel business with immediate effect. Saraf succeeds N.A. Ansari, who was elevated to the post of joint managing director, the company said in a statement. Saraf has been associated with Jindal Steel & Power for the last three years as a consultant. He is an alumnus of the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU), the company said. He completed B.Tech in metallurgical engineering in 1987.

Correct Answer – D. Palestine

Explanation: Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki declared on Wednesday that Palestine would apply for full state membership at the United Nations in January. Mr Al-Malki told the official radio station Voice of Palestine that he would file the application to upgrade Palestine’s status from an observer state to a full member state to the UN Security Council. To secure full state membership, the Palestinians need support from at least nine out of the UNSC’s 15 member states.

Correct Answer – C. U.K. Sinha

Explanation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday set up an expert committee under former Sebi chairman U.K. Sinha to suggest long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector. RBI has announced the panel a day after it allowed a one-time restructuring of existing debt up to ₹25 crore for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which have defaulted on payment but the loans given to them have continued to be classified as standard assets.

The eight-member committee will also examine the factors affecting the timely and adequate availability of finance to the sector, the central bank said in a statement. “The expert committee will submit its report by the end of June 2019,” it said.

Correct Answer – B. Kerala

Explanation: The Mullaperiyar Dam or Mullaiperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).

Correct Answer – A. Discounting

Explanation: A number of private sector companies and a dozen state-run firms and public sector banks have registered themselves on the Trade Receivables Electronic Discounting System (TReDS) platform, paving way for faster payments to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Correct Answer – D. Chinese

Explanation: The United Nations has issued the Chinese version of the forty-second edition of Basic Facts about the United Nations, marking the publication of the trusted guidebook in all six official languages – the others being Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish – as a keystone of the Organization’s multilingual outreach.  The language editions cover significant developments in the world body’s global activities since 2014, including the adoption and launch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Basic Facts, published since 1947, serves as the definitive introduction to the United Nations and its family of related institutions and agencies. The other language versions, like their English counterpart, are fully indexed and comprise six chapters:  United Nations Charter, structure and system; international peace and security; economic and social development; human rights; humanitarian action; and international law.

Correct Answer  – C. Hi Fly

Explanation: Portuguese airline Hi Fly took off from Lisbon on Wednesday without a single piece of single-use plastic on board their flight to Natale, Brazil–no plastic cups, no plastic silverware, no plastic cocktail stirrers, no plastic food containers. The flight was a test run as the company hopes to ban single-use plastics from their planes entirely by the end of 2019. They have three more test runs planned, during which passengers will use bamboo cutlery and compostable food containers, made by Vegware, and other plant-based, renewable, lower-carbon or recycled materials.