Current Affairs Quiz
1. Who has been appointed as new foreign secretary?
a) Alok Kumar Sinha
b) Sunil Kumar Lal
c) Sajeev Babu Kurup
d) Vijay Keshav Gokhale
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Answer d) Vijay Keshav Gokhale. Seasoned diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale, considered an expert on China, was named the next foreign secretary succeeding S Jaishankar, who completes his extended tenure later this month. Gokhale, a 1981-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), had played a key role in India-China negotiations last year to resolve the 73-day standoff between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau, a tri-junction between Sino-India and Bhutanese border near Sikkim.
2. Which state government on January 01, 2018 launched a round-the-clock power supply to the state’s 2.3 million farmers free of cost?
a) Andra Pradesh
b) Haryana
c) Telangana
d) Bihar
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Answer c) Telangana. The Telangana government on January 01, 2018 launched a round-the-clock power supply to the state’s 2.3 million farmers free of cost. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao described the 24X7 agriculture power supply as a New Year’s gift for the farmers of the state. The free power supply will now be available for 23 lakh agricultural pump sets.
3. The first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam recognised ____ crore people as Indian citizens
a) 1.2
b) 1.9
c) 2.4
d) 2.7
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Answer b) 1.9. The first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam recognised 1.9 crore people as Indian citizens. “The verification process for the rest 1.39 crore applicants is still on,” Registrar General of India Sailesh said on Sunday. Assam, which has witnessed an influx of migrants from Bangladesh, became the only state to have NRC in 1951.
4. Which state government has approved service bye-laws for contractual employees working under the National Health Mission (NHM) in the state?
a) Haryana
b) Maharashtra
c) Jharkhand
d) Meghalaya
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Answer a) Haryana. The Haryana government has approved service bye-laws for contractual employees working under the National Health Mission (NHM) in the state. Under these rules, the employees have been divided into three categories. In category-I, apart from experts, maximum honorarium of the present or the entry level would be given to employees who have completed satisfactory service till five years. These employees would get maximum pay of present or entry level and medical allowance of Rs 500 per month or ESI benefit, besides, an increment of three per cent in basic pay.
5. Which state government would be obtaining electric vehicles under the Centre’s FAME-India scheme recently?
a) Kerala
b) Gujarat
c) Rajasthan
d) Karnataka
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Answer d) Karnataka. Karnataka government would be obtaining electric vehicles under the Centre’s FAME-India scheme. Karnataka is set to procure and ply 40 electric buses, 100 four wheelers and 500 three wheelers along with setting up of charging infrastructure across the city of Bengaluru Under the scheme, subsidy is provided to an extent of 60 per cent of purchase cost for electric buses, Rs 1.24 lakh for every Electric four wheeler and Rs 61,000 for every electric three wheeler by the central government.
6. Which state would be the theme state for the 32nd Surajkund International Crafts fair, beginning from the first week of February at Faridabad in Haryana?
a) Bihar
b) Manipur
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) West Bengal
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Answer c) Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh would be the theme state for the 32nd Surajkund International Crafts fair, beginning from the first week of February at Faridabad in Haryana. It also provides a world-class platform for craftsmen from around the world to showcase their skills The fair would be organised by the Haryana Tourism and Surajkund Fair Authority in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
7. Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy-2017 was notified under ____________________have been declared as electronics manufacturing zones
a) Noida
b) Greater Noida
c) Yamuna Expressway
d) All of the above
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Answer d) All of the above. The Yogi Adityanath government has released its ‘Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy’ under which Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway region has been declared as an electronics manufacturing zone. To develop the state as the hub of electronics manufacturing, a new policy has been released under which the units set up in this zone will be eligible for claiming necessary benefits.
8. Jammu frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) was celebrated its 38th raising day on ____________
a) January 01
b) January 02
c) January 03
d) January 04
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Answer a) January 01. Jammu frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) was celebrated its 38th raising day, reaffirming its commitment to uphold peace and tranquillity along the border besides extending all help and cooperation to the local people for their well being. The frontier was raised on January 1, 1981 after bi- bifurcating the erstwhile North Western frontier under the command of the then Inspector General, Jammu, W G J Mudaliar. Awtar remembered all the “Praharis” who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives while defending the borders along the Jammu Frontier.
9. Which state has been declared as “disturbed area” for six more months, till June- end, under the controversial AFSPA?
a) Assam
b) Nagaland
c) Mizoram
d) Jammu and Kashmir
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Answer b) Nagaland. The entire Nagaland has been declared as “disturbed area” for six more months, till June- end, under the controversial AFSPA, which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice.
10. Which state government has decided to set up a Madrasa Teachers Welfare Fund Board to make available pension and other benefits for Madrasa teachers?
a) Karnataka
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Kerala
d) Uttarakhand
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Answer c) Kerala. The CPI-M-led LDF government in Kerala has decided to set up a Kerala Madrasa Teachers Welfare Fund Board to make available pension and other benefits for Madrasa teachers. The main objective is to provide pension and other benefits for madrasa teachers. The cabinet decided to recommend to the governor P Sathasivam on convening the assembly session from January 22.
11. Which company has placed orders for ~400-km for pipeline connectivity from Dobhi (Bihar) to Durgapur (West Bengal)?
a) ONGC
b) IOC
c) HP
d) GAIL
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Answer d) GAIL. Gail India has placed orders for ~400-km for pipeline connectivity from Dobhi (Bihar) to Durgapur (West Bengal). With these awards, pipe supply orders for 2,100 km and pipeline laying orders for 1,700 km have been finalized for the ‘Jagdishpur-Haldia & Boakro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline’ (JHBPL) also known as ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’ project. GAIL till date has committed Rs6,500 crore for the project. According to the company, the project will usher industrial development in East India by supplying environmentally clean natural gas to fertilizer & power plant, refineries, steel plants and other industries. It will also provide direct and indirect employment to the thousands of people.
12. Markets regulator SEBI has imposed a total penalty of Rs ____ lakh on Prime Capital Market and Warner Multimedia for disclosure lapses in the matter of Blue Circle Services
a) 2 lakh
b) 5 lakh
c) 10 lakh
d) 25 lakh
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Answer c) 10 lakh. Markets regulator SEBI has imposed a total penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Prime Capital Market and Warner Multimedia for disclosure lapses in the matter of Blue Circle Services. The order has come following an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) into the trading activities of certain entities in the scrip of Blue Circle Services Ltd (BCSL) during the period from October 21, 2011 to March 31, 2013. Prime Capital was promoter of BCSL and Warner Multimedia was part of its promoter group during the investigation period.
13. Which country has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents?
a) Nepal
b) India
c) China
d) Sri Lanka
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Answer a) Nepal. Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents. The new safety regulations also prohibit double amputee and blind climbers from attempting to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak without a valid medical certificate.
14. Global Family Day was observed on?
a) January 04
b) January 03
c) January 02
d) January 01
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Answer d) January 01. Global Family Day is celebrated each year on 1st January. In November 1997 the UN General Assembly made a declaration that the first year of the new millennium should see the launch of an International Decade for the Culture of Peace and non-violence for the Children of the World and that the decade should be ushered in by “One Day of Peace”.
15. Which of the following countries introduced value-added tax from January 01, 2018?
a) Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
b) Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
c) Qatar and Kuwait
d) Bahrain and United Arab Emirates
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Answer b) Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced value-added tax from January 01, 2018 a first for the Gulf which has long prided itself on its tax-free, cradle-to-grave welfare system. Saudi Arabia has deposited billions of dollars in special accounts to help needy citizens face the resulting rise in retail prices. The other four Gulf states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar — are also committed to introducing VAT but have decided to delay the move until early in 2019.
16. Which country is set to start enforcing a law that demands social media sites move quickly to remove hate speech, fake news and illegal material?
a) France
b) Russia
c) Japan
d) Germany
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Answer d) Germany. Germany is set to start enforcing a law that demands social media sites move quickly to remove hate speech, fake news and illegal material. The law gives the networks 24 hours to act after they have been told about law-breaking material. Social networks and media sites with more than two million members will fall under the law’s provisions.
17. India and Pakistan exchanged lists of their nuclear installations for the _____ consecutive time under the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations Agreement
a) 25th
b) 26th
c) 27th
d) 28th
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Answer c) 27th. India and Pakistan exchanged lists of their nuclear installations for the 27th consecutive time under the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations Agreement. The annual exchange of lists is aimed at updating the nations about the installations to be covered under the agreement. The countries also shared a list of Indian and Pakistani nationals lodged in their jails.
18. Which team won the Ranji Trophy title 2017?
a) Vidarbha
b) Delhi
c) Tamil Nadu
d) Karnataka
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Answer a) Vidarbha. Vidarbha have created history by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time in history with a thumping nine-wicket win over Delhi at the Holkar stadium in Indore. Rajneesh Gurbani’s 6/59, including a hat-trick and a century from Akshay Wadkar were the key moments in Vidarbha scripting a fairytale run.
19. Who has emerged as the best shooter in Pistol events in the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions?
a) Anisa Sayyed
b) Suma Shirur
c) Heena Sidhu
d) Manu Bhaker
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Answer d) Manu Bhaker. Haryana dominated the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for Rifle/Pistol that drew to a close, and the state’s young woman pistol shooter Manu Bhaker emerged as the best shooter in Pistol events, bagging a total of 15 medals including 11 Gold, three Silvers and one Bronze medal. Mehuli Ghosh of West Bengal emerged as the best Rifle shooter winning eight Gold and 3 Bronze medals.
20. Who has been named as Coorg Person of the year?
a) PV Sindhu
b) Ashwini Ponnappa
c) Jwala Gutta
d) Saina Nehwal
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Answer b) Ashwini Ponnappa. Star Indian badminton player and Olympian Ashwini Ponnappa has been named ‘Coorg Person of the year, 2017’ in a poll conducted by a news portal dedicated to Kodagu. Ashwini, who won a gold medal in the women’s double event of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, was selected for the honour by www.coorgtourisminfo.com, Kodagu’s first news portal, promoted by senior journalist P T Bopanna.
