Important G.K. & Current Affairs Questions – 9th January 2019

Correct Answer – B. Clause 6

Explanation: The clause aims to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the high-level committee that is expected to look into the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord of 1985. The committee is headed by a retired IAS officer MP Bezbarauah and includes eminent Assamese personalities from various fields. The panel will submit its report within six months. Bezbaruah has served in Assam as a bureaucrat and was also part of the North Eastern Council. He earlier headed a committee in 2014 that looked into discrimination suffered by Northeastern people in mainland India following the death of Arunachal Pradesh resident Nido Tania in Delhi.

Correct Answer – B. Ahmedabad

Explanation: The International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad was inaugurated by Gujarat Governor O P Kohli. Ahmedabad has been hosting the International Kite Festival since 1989, as part of the official celebration of Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan. Kite flying developed as a major sport when it was taken up by the kings and Nawabs of India.

Correct Answer – B. Odisha

Explanation: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh for the women self-help groups (WSHGs) in the state. He said this while addressing the “Mission Shakti” convention here, which was attended by about 50,000 women from different parts of the state. There are around six lakh WSHGs in Odisha.

Correct Answer – C. Cholendra Shamsher J B Rana 

Explanation: Justice Cholendra Shamsher J B Rana recently took over as the new Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath to Rana at the swearing-in ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the official residence of the President. Rana, who will have a tenure of four years, has succeeded Chief Justice Om Prakas Mishra.

Correct Answer – B. National Health Authority

Explanation: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the re-structuring of existing National Health Agency as “National Health Authority” with an aim to efficiently implement Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). With this, the existing society, “National Health Agency”, has been dissolved and its status now stands enhanced to that of an Authority. The National Health Authority shall have full autonomy, accountability and the mandate to implement PM-JAY through an efficient, effective and transparent decision-making process. Dubbed as “Modicare” the PM-JAY, is being described as the world’s largest health insurance scheme. It is a cashless and paperless access to health services up to Rs. 5 lakhs per year to poor and vulnerable people identified as per the socio economic caste census.

Correct Answer – E. None of these

Explanation: The National Green Tribunal imposed a fine of whopping Rs 100 crore on the Meghalaya government for its failure to curb illegal coal mining in the state. A senior advocate, who is assisting the tribunal as an amicus curiae in the matter, said a report of a high-level committee was submitted on January 2 before a bench headed by NGT chairperson A K Goel.

Correct Answer – C. 7.2

Explanation: The government said that India’s GDP is expected to rise to 7.2 per cent during 2018-19 compared to 6.7 per cent in the previous fiscal. As per the ‘First Advance Estimates of National Income, 2018-19’ released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Real GDP or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the year 2018-19 is likely to attain a level of Rs 139.52 lakh crore. This is 7.23 per cent higher than Rs 130.11 lakh crore reported during 2017-18.

Correct Answer – C. 10

Explanation: The Union Cabinet has approved 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for the  economically weak sections in the general category. The section doesn’t get reservation as of now, the sources said. This reservation will be over and above the existing 50 per cent reservation, they said, adding that the government is likely to bring a constitutional amendment bill in Parliament.

Correct Answer – C. China

Explanation: The new Chinese law aims to “Sinicise” Islam. The indifference of China towards Islam was garnering it loads of criticism. China has around 20 million Muslims and Islam is one of the five officially recognised religions in atheist China. China has embarked on an aggressive “Sinification” campaign in recent years with faith groups that were largely tolerated in the past seeing their freedoms shrink under Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Practising Islam has been made forbidden in parts of China, with individuals caught praying, fasting, growing a beard or wearing a hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion, facing the threat of arrest.

Correct Answer  – D. 5000

Explanation: Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar approved an increase of 5,000 seats at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country. The admission to the additional seats will start in the 2019-20 academic session. In a statement, the HRD Ministry said, now the number of seats has increased from 46 thousand 600 to 51 thousand at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas