October 2021 Flashcards
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) initiated in __.
2014
Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban implemented by
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Swachh Bharat Mission - Rural implemented by
Ministry of Jal Shakti
SBM-U Phase 2.0 Outlay:
Rs. 1.41 Lakh Crore
AMRUT-2.0: 2.87 Lakh Crore
AMRUT-2.0 Outlay:
Rs. 2.87 Lakh Crore
SBM-2.0: 1.41 Lakh Crore
What does AMRUT stand for?
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
Air India has recently been acquired by ___
Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. / Talace Pvt. Ltd.
What was Tata’s winning bid for Air India?
Rs. 18,000 crore
Name the subsidiary of Tata that will hold Air India
Talace Pvt. Ltd.
Air India was founded by
J.R.D. Tata
Chairman of Air India
Rajiv Bansal
Air India HQ
New Delhi
When was Air India nationalised?
1953
When did Air India merge with Indian Airlines?
2007
Tata Group HQ?
Mumbai
Chairman of Tata Group
Natarajan Chandrasekharan
Tata Group (not Air India) was founded in?
1868
Tata Group founded by?
Jamshetji Tata
Name the mission by NASA to explore Trojan Asteroids
Mission Lucy
Mission Lucy will explore ____
Trojan Asteroids
Mission Lucy length
12 years
Mission Lucy was named after
‘Lucy’, a 3.2 million-year-old ancestor who belonged to a species of hominins (which include humans and their ancestors).
Mission Lucy’s first encounter will be with ___ asteroid
Donald Johnson
Jupiter has how many moons?
79
Most recent spacecraft to arrive at Jupiter?
Juno
NASA founded in
1958
NASA HQ
Washington, D.C.
NASA was established by which President?
Dwight Eisenhower
Administrator of NASA
Bill Nelson
Mascot of Air India
Maharaja
When was Air India founded?
1932
Name the subsidiaries of Air India that will also be acquired by Tata.
AISATS: Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd.
AIXL: Air India Express Ltd.
What was Air India’s reserve price?
Rs. 12,906 crore
What is the breakdown of the acquisition price of Air India?
Rs. 18,000 crore
- Rs. 2,700 crore in cash.
- Rs. 15,300 crore in taking over Air India’s debt.
How much will the government retain in Air India?
About Rs. 60,000 crore worth.
- Rs. 46,300 in debt
- Rs. 14,700 in assets
How much debt did Air India have?
About Rs. 61,000 crore
A company named ___ will be created for the government’s holdings of Air India’s assets and debt.
Air India Asset Holdings Ltd.
What are the conditions for Tata’s acquisition of Air India?
- 51% share in Tata/Talace Private Limited for at least one year.
- Tata must keep at least 12,000 employees for at least one year.
- Business Continuity: Tata must continue the Air India business for at least three years.
- The brand must be retained for at least five years.
Minister of Civil Aviation
Jyotiraditya Scindia
Nobel Prizes were founded in?
1901
What is the prize money for a Nobel Prize?
10 million Swedish kroner (1.1 million USD)
Nobel Prizes were instituted in the will of ___ in the year ___.
Alfred Nobel, 1895
Who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian
Who won the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
Emil Adolf von Behring
Medicine Nobel Prize is awarded by?
Karolinska Institute
What did David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian win the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine for?
For their discoveries in receptors for sensation of temperature and touch (somatosensation)
Who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Half of Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann
The other half to Giorgio Parisi.
First winner of Nobel Prize in Physics?
Wilhelm Rontgen (for disovering X-rays)
Nobel Prize in Physics given by
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Which Indian won the Nobel Prize in Physics?
C.V. Raman (for discovering scattering effect)
Why were Manabe and Hasselmann awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Awarded for work in physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming.
Why was Parisi awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Awarded for “the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.”
Who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
Benjamin List and David MacMillan
Why were List and McMillan awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
For the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.
First winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Jacobus van ‘t Hoff
Nobel Prize in Chemistry given by
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature?
Abdulrazak Gurna
Abdulrazak Gurna, the Nobel Laureate in 2021 for Literature, was born in?
Zanzibar
First winner of Nobel Prize in Literature
Sully Prudhomme
First and only Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
Rabindranath Tagore
First Indian to win a Nobel Prize
Rabindranath Tagore
First Asian to win a Nobel Prize
Rabindranath Tagore
Nobel Prize in Literature awarded by
Swedish Academy
Who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize?
Maria Ressa of the Philippines
Dmitry Muratov of Russia
Why did Maria Ressa win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Co-founding Rappler, an investigative journalism website
Why did Dmitry Muratov win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Co-founding Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper
First winner of Nobel Peace Prize
Henry Dunant (founder of the Red Cross) Frederic Passy
Who gives the Nobel Peace Prize?
Norwegian Nobel Committee
Who appoints the Nowegian Nobel Committee?
Nowegian Parliament (Storting)
Indians to win Nobel Peace Prize
Mother Teresa and Kailash Satyarthi
Who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences?
David Card
Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens
Why did David Card win the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics?
For his empirical contributions to labour economics
Why did Angrist and Imbens win the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics?
For their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.
When was the Nobel Prize in Economics founded?
1968
Who founded the Nobel Prize in Economics?
Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden)
Nobel Prize in Economics is given by
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Indian to win Nobel Prize in Economics
Amartya Sen
Youngest person to win a Nobel Prize
Malala Yousafzai
First woman to win a Nobel Prize
Marie Curie
Capital of Sweden
Stockholm
Parliament of Sweden name
Riksdag
Parliament of Norway name
Storting
King of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf
PM of Sweden
Magdalena Andersson
Recently, a mountain in Andaman and Nicobar has been renamed as ___ from ___ in tribute to freedom fighters from that state.
Mount Manipur, Mount Harriet
When was the Anglo-Manipuri War?
1891
Manipur celebrates ___ Day on ___ to commemorate the freedom fighters of the Anglo-Manipuri war.
Khongjom Day, 23rd April
CM of Manipur
N. Biren Singh
Capital of Manipur
Imphal
When was Manipur made a state?
1972
Capital of Andaman & Nicobar
Port Blair
Name the new mascot of the Namami Gange Programme.
Chacha Chaudhary
Outlay of Namami Gange
Rs. 20,000 crore
National Ganga Council is under the chair of
Prime Minister
Name the last India-US exercise in the Bilateral Format.
Yudh Abhyas
Recently, the FATF has retained Pakistan in the ____ list.
Grey List
What countries have been added to the FATF Grey List this year?
Mali, Jordan and Turkey
What countries have been taken out of the FATF Grey List this year?
Botswana and Mauritius
Pakistan had a ___ point action plan from the FATF.
34-point
FATF was created in ___ by the ___.
1989 by the G7 Countries
FATF HQ
Paris, France
Chairman of FATF
Marcus Pleyer
Name the FATF blacklisted countries.
Iran and North Korea
Global Hunger Index is prepared by
Concern Worldwide and Welthungerlife
India ranked __ in the Global Hunger Index.
101st
Name the indicators of the Global Hunger Index
Undernourishment, Child Wasting, Child Stunting and Child Mortality
Undernourishment data for the Global Hunger Index is provided by
Food and Agriculture Organisation
___ and ___ are the worst-affected regions in the Global Hunger Index.
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
The worst country under the Global Hunger Index is
Somalia
Food and Agriculture Organization HQ in
Rome, Italy
Director General of the FAO
Qu Dongyu
WFP: David Beasley
FAO was founded in
1945
WFP in 1961
Motto of the FAO in Latin and English
Latin: Fiat panis
English: Let there be bread
When was the World Food Programme founded?
1961
FAO in 1945
Head of WFP
David Beasley
FAO: Qu Dongyu
HQ of WFP
Rome, Italy
When is World Food Day celebrated? Why is it celebrated on that day?
16th October
Founding of FAO in 1945
(Note: WFP was in 1961)
The 2021 Theme of World Food Day
“Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow”
World Food Day is on October 16th
Minister of Women and Child Development
Smriti Irani
Does Right to Food exist in the Indian Constitution?
Yes, under Article 21
Which DPSP relates to increasing the level of nutrition?
Article 47 (Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health)
Fourth Assembly of ISA Presided by
R.K. Singh, Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy
Recently, the __th Assemby of the ISA was held.
4th
A promise to achieve ___ global in solar investments by 2030 was announced.
$1 trillion
Slogan of ISA
One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG)
When was ISA launched? By whom?
ISA was launched by Indian PM Narendra Modi and French Prez. Emmanuel Macron in 2015.
ISA is headquartered in
Gurugram, India
Director General of ISA
Ajay Mathur
Name the spyware that the govt. is alleged to have used for surveillance.
Pegasus
Name the Pegasus Probe Case
Manohar Lal Sharma v. Union of India
Why did the Supreme Court reject the govt.’s plea to set up its own probe on Pegasus?
Judicial principle against bias, i.e., that ‘justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done’
The expert committee on Pegasus will be led by
R.V. Raveendran, former Justice of Supreme Court.
R.V. Raveendran in the Pegasus Technical Committee will be assisted by
Alok Joshi and Dr. Sundeep Oberoi
Name the three members of the Technical Committee formed by the SC for Pegasus
Dr. Naveen Kumar Chaudhary
Dr. Prabaharan P.
Dr. Ashwin Anil Gumaste
Name the tech giant which first identified a vulnerability in its software that enabled Pegasus to infiltrate the devices of its users.
Founders of WhatsApp
Brian Acton and Jan Koum
CEO of WhatsApp
Will Cathcart
In September 2018, ___, which is a laboratory, released a report detailing the software capabilities of Pegasus.
Citizen Lab
Citizen Lab based in
University of Toronto, Canada
The ___ is an international investigative journalism initiative that revealed governments’ espionage using the private Pegasus spyware
Pegasus Project
Name the Indian organisation that took part in the Pegasus Project
The Wire
Amnesty International HQ
London, UK
Amnesty International founded by
Peter Benenson and Eric Bake
When was Amnesty International founded?
1961
Amnesty International Secretary-General
Agnes Callamard
Pegasus is a spyware developed by the ___ cyberarms firm ___.
Israeli, NSO Group
The earliest avatars of Pegasus used ___, a hit-or-miss method in which a malicious link is embedded in a message to entice the target to click.
Now, it uses ___ attacks, where the victim need not click any link to be infected.
Spear phishing
Zero-click attacks
In India, privacy rights may be traced to Article ___ of the Constitution.
Article 21
Which case in India established privacy as a fundamental right?
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India
An invasion of life or personal liberty must meet the threefold requirement of
(i) legality
(ii) need
(iii) proportionality
___ is a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT) being built by the DRDO.
DRDO Abhyas
DRDO Abhyas is designed and built by the ___ under the DRDO
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE)
Test flights of missiles in India are launched in
Balasore, Odisha
President of DRDO
G. Satheesh Reddy
Recently, the ___ has been awarded a Gold medal in the Cambrian Patrol Exercise.
Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army
Cambrian Patrol Exercise held by
The UK
What is ‘Olympics of Military Patrolling’?
Cambrian Patrol Exercise
Global Minimum Tax announced by
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
___ countries have agreed to Global Minimum Tax
136
Global Minimum Tax rate
15%
OECD HQ
Paris, France
OECD founded in
1961
OECD number of members
36
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index is conducted by
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI)
Multidimensional Poverty Index uses ___ dimensions and ___ indicators
three dimensions and ten indicators
Name the three dimensions of the Multidimensional Poverty Index
Education, Health, Standard of Living
Nearly 85% of the multidimensionally poor live in ___.
Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.
According to the Multidimensional Poverty Index, ___ saw the fastest periodic reductions in poverty.
Sierra Leone
According to the Multidimensional Poverty Index, the poorest group in India are ___.
Scheduled Tribes
UNDP HQ
New York City
Name the UN organization tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable development.
United Nations Development Programme
UNDP is under the ___.
Economic and Social Council
UNDP headed by
Achim Steiner
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17 October
Oil Minister of India
Hardeep Singh Puri
Recently, the IEA has invited ___ to become a full time member.
India
If the invitation of India to the IAE is accepted, the proposal will require India to?
To raise strategic oil reserves to 90 days requirement
IEA is established under?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
HQ of International Energy Agency
Paris, France
Executive Director of International Energy Agency
Fatih Birol.
Name the report that the International Energy Agency publishes that it is known for
World Energy Outlook
Name the recent leak of files regarding the use of offshore accounts, private trusts etc. by the ultra-rich.
Pandora Papers
Name the predecessors to the Pandora Papers that also dealt with the use of offshore companies and private trusts.
Panama Papers and Paradise Papers
Pandora Papers were released by
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
Panama Papers were taken from the databases of
Mossack Fonseca (the fourth-biggest offshore law firm in the world)
Paradise Papers originated from
Appleby (Bermudian offshore law firm)
Trusts in India are governed by
Indian Trusts Act, 1982
When is UN Day? When was UN formed?
24 October
UN was formed on 24th October, 1945
UN Day 2021 Theme
Building Back Together for Peace and Prosperity
Founders of the UN
Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin
The UN is the successor to
League of Nations
The UN is governed by the ___, which was drafted in the ___.
1: UN Charter
2: San Francisco Conference
The UN has ___ organs and ___ specialised agencies.
6 organs and 15 specialised agencies
Name the UN Secretary General. Which country is he/she from? What is the capital of that country?
Antonio Guterres
Portugal, Capital: Lisbon
The name “United Nations” was coined by
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
How many member states does the UN have?
193
The UN has ___ official languages: Name them.
6 languages:
English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian
Name the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN
UN General Assembly
HQ of UN General Assembly
New York
What is the term of office of the UNGA President?
One year
Current UNGA President
Abdulla Shahid
India has had a UNGA President in the past. Name them.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.
Composition of the UN Security Council
The Security Council is made up of fifteen member states.
This consists of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members.
The UNSC non-permanent members are elected for ___ year terms by the ___ on a regional basis
two-year terms by the UNGA
Name the permanent members of the UNSC.
China, France, Russia, the UK, and the USA
It has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC ___ times so far, the first time in ___.
8 times, first time in 1950-51.
The permanent members have the “___ power”
Veto Power
The ICJ is the successor of the ___.
Permanent Court of International Justice
The International Court of Justice is composed of ___ judges, who are elected for terms of office of ___ years
15 judges for 9-year terms
The ICJ has a President for a term of ___ years. Currently: ___.
Three years
Currently: Joan Donoghue
Is there an Indian Judge of the ICJ? If so, name them.
Dalveer Bhandari
First Indian Judge of the ICJ.
Benegal Narsing Rau
The ICJ is headquartered at the ___.
The Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands
The ECOSOC has ___ members, elected by the ___ for overlapping ___ year terms.
54 members, elected by the UNGA, three-year terms
The ___ is the UN’s platform for debate & innovation on sustainable development.
ECOSOC
HQ of ECOSOC
New York, USA
President of the ECOSOC.
Collen Vixen Kelapile (Botswana)
First President of the ECOSOC.
A. Ramaswami Mudaliar (India)
Name the organ of the UN that is now defunct. It is defunct as of ___.
Trusteeship Council, 1994
Last trust territory of the Trusteeship Counci. When did it gain self-governance?
Palau, 1994
First Secretary-General of the UN.
Trygve Lie (Norway)
India‘s first Atal Community Innovation Center (ACIC) launched by ___.
Vivekananda Global University
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is set up by the ___.
NITI Aayog
Name the Japan-India Bilateral Exercise held recently
JIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise)
The Border Security Force now has uniform ___ km jurisdiction to arrest, search, seize in border states.
50 km
___ has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories.
Border Security Force (BSF)
The book ‘Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past’ written is by ___.
Vikram Sampat
The law that makes drugs illegal is the ___.
NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, 1985
The ‘second Quad’ which India is in is between which countries?
India, Israel, USA, UAE
Name the Secretary of State of the US.
Anthony Blinken
Name the Foreign Minister of Israel. What is his additional charge? Who is the PM of Israel?
Yair Lapid (Alternate PM) PM: Naftali Bennett
India’s permanent representative to the UN
T.S. Tirumurti
India has recently been re-elected to the UNHRC. Name the HQ and the President of this body.
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
President: Nazhat Shameem
Name the hypersonic cruise missile that Russia has launched recently
Tsirkon
India has been ranked ___ in the most powerful passport report ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’.
90th
___ and ___ have ranked first in the Henley Index.
Singapore and Japan
Henley Index is prepared by ___ with the data from ___.
Henley & Partners, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
India hosts first ever SCO Seminar on ___.
Role of Women in Armed Forces.
___ becomes first European country to legalise cannabis.
Luxembourg
World‘s first UNESCO Trail launched In ___.
Scotland
Former U.S. president Donald Trump launches ___ social media platform.
TRUTH Social
Name the Governor of the RBI who has been reappointed recently.
Shaktikanta Das
The RBI is established by
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
First Governor of the RBI
Osborne Smith
First Indian Governor of the RBI
C.D. Deshmukh
The RBI was established on ___ after the recommendations of the ___.
1st April, 1935
Hilton Young Commission
The RBI is headquartered in ___.
Mint Street, Mumbai.
The ___ is responsible for fixing the benchmark interest rate in India.
Monetary Policy Committee
The Monetary Policy Committee was established in
2016
What is the composition of the Monetary Policy Committee?
- Three officials of the RBI
- Three external members nominated by the Government of India.
- The ex-officio chairman is the Governor of the RBI.
Inflation target is to be set once in ___ years.
The current inflation target is ___.
5 years, 4%
The Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme was launched in ___.
2015
The Gold Bonds under the SGB Scheme are issued under the
Government Securities (GS) Act, 2006
Who are eligible for a gold bond under the SGB Scheme?
The bonds under are restricted for sale to
- resident individuals,
- Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs),
- trusts,
- universities and
- charitable institutions.
Minimum unit of the gold bonds issued in the SGB Scheme
1 gram
Tenure of the gold bonds issued in the SGB Scheme
8 years
Minimum permissible investment will be ___ in the SGB Scheme.
1 gram of gold.
Interest rate in the SGB Scheme
2.50% per annum
The maximum limit of subscription under the SGB Scheme shall be ___ for individuals and HUFs and ___ for trusts and similar entities.
4 kg for individuals and HUFs
20 kg for trusts and other entities
Name the newest low cost carrier (ULCC) in India.
Akasa Airlines
The newsest ultra low cost carrier (ULCC) in India, Akasa, is being backed by?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Name the CEO of the new Akasa Airlines
Vinay Dube
Minister of Civil Aviation
Jyotiraditya Scindia
Amazon has unveiled its ___ robot, which is designed to help customers with a range of tasks like home monitoring and keeping in touch with family.
‘Astro’ home robot
Mukesh Ambani will bring ___ convenience stores to India.
7-Eleven
___ becomes 1st scheduled private sector bank to collect direct, indirect taxes.
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Moody’s upgrades outlook on India‘s sovereign rating to ___.
Stable
Name the Big Three credit rating agencies.
Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Group
Recently, the PM has launched the, ___ which is an industry body of government and private companies which aims to supplement the Centre’s efforts in commercial space exploration and space-based communication.
Indian Space Association (ISpA)
___ has become the first country to receive payments from a World Bank trust fund for reducing emissions from deforestation.
Mozambique
___ became the first state in the country to release a ‘Wildlife Action Plan’.
Maharashtra
___ will become world’s first net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
Indian Railways
___ has become the first country in the world to pass a law that will ensure financial organisations to disclose and act on climate-related risks.
New Zealand
Name the World’s first anti-malarial vaccine. It was developed by?
Mosquirix, GlaxoSmithKline
Mosquirix targets ___ species of malaria.
Plasmodium falciparum
Malaria is transmitted to people through the bites of infected ___.
Female Anopheles mosquitoes
Part of the world’s first antimalarial vaccine will be developed by Indian company ___. Name the HQ and head of this company. What is its COVID-19 vaccine?
Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL)
HQ: Hyderabad
Head: Krishna Ella
COVID-19 Vaccine: Covaxin
___ unveils world‘s first automated, driverless train.
Germany
___ becomes first country to commercial produce and spray Nano Urea through Drones.
India
Recently, ___ has won the IPL 2021. This is their ___th title.
Chennai Super Kings, 4th title
In the IPL 2021,
___ won the Orange Cap.
___ won the Purple Cap.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) Harshal Patel (RCB)
The IPL is organized by the ___, under the ___.
IPL Governing Council, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
IPL was established in ___ and currently consists of ___ teams across India. As of 2021, there have been ___ seasons of the IPL.
2018, eight teams, fourteen seasons
The most successful team in the IPL has been ___ with ___ titles. The inaugural IPL season was won by ___.
Mumbai Indians, 5 titles
Rajasthan Royals
