Current Affairs APR-2021

Showing 1 - 20 of 100 entries

1. Which is the only country other than India to pass the miscarriages bereavement leave law?

A
Switzerland

B
Norway

C
New Zealand

D
Germany

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [New Zealand]

Explaination : [The parliament of the New Zealand has recently passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or still birth. It has become only the second country in the world to pass the law, after India. One in four New Zealand women experienced a miscarriage. This law will give employees three days leave when a pregnancy ends with a stillbirth.]

2. Which country is set to gift nearly 2 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the UN Peace keepers?

A
China

B
Russia

C
India

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [India]

Explaination : [India has announced 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as a gift to the UN peacekeepers. It will be sent on March 27 and will be distributed to the peacekeeping missions. With this, it will be possible to administer the double doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all 85,782 UN peacekeepers serving in 12 peacekeeping operations across the world.]

3. Which institution releases the annual flagship report “World Economic Outlook”?

A
World Bank

B
Asian Development Bank

C
International Monetary Fund

D
United Nations Development Program

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [International Monetary Fund]

Explaination : [“World Economic Outlook” is the annual flagship report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This year, the report is to be released on April 6. The International Monetary Fund has announced that India’s economy is on the path of gradual recovery. It highlighted the return to positive territory in fourth quarter of 2020. ]

4. Who is the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) of India, whose term has been extended?

A
B P Kanungo

B
K Vijay Raghavan

C
N S Viswanathan

D
R Gandhi

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [K Vijay Raghavan]

Explaination : [Mr K. VijayRaghavan has been given a one-year extension as the principal scientific advisor (PSA) to the Government of India. As per the order issued by the Personnel Ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension as the PSA for a period of one year. He provides objective advice to the Prime minister and Cabinet on matters related to science, technology and innovation.]

5. What is ‘Ever Given’, that was making news recently?

A
Covid Vaccine Candidate

B
Cargo Ship

C
Cruise missile

D
UN resolution

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Cargo Ship]

Explaination : [A skyscraper-sized cargo ship MV Ever Given recently stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. As it stuck across the canal, over 150 other vessels which were to pass the waterway were waiting for the obstruction to clear. Ever Given vehicle was carrying cargo between Asia and Europe. The Suez Canal is a narrow, man-made canal that divides continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula.]

6. Which state has recommended a judicial inquiry against central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate?

A
Punjab

B
Kerala

C
Chhattisgarh

D
Telangana

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Kerala]

Explaination : [The Left front government in Kerala has decided to recommend a judicial inquiry against the central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate. Earlier, the Crime Branch registered an FIR against some ED officials for derailing the probe in the gold smuggling and dollar cases. The state has decided to appoint Justice (Retd) KV Mohan to head the commission.]

7. Which state has announced to launch the Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes (ARHC) scheme?

A
Bihar

B
Uttar Pradesh

C
Gujarat

D
Andhra Pradesh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Uttar Pradesh]

Explaination : [The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet headed by the Chief Minister has approved the Affordable Rental Housing and Complexes (ARHC) scheme. He scheme would offer affordable rental housing for poor people living in cities, urban migrants/poor labourers, those belonging to economically weaker sections, including factory workers, educational institutions, and those associated with hospitality and students.]

8. Where is the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) located?

A
Gujarat

B
Kerala

C
Odisha

D
Maharashtra

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Kerala]

Explaination : [The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is an autonomous institution under the Department of Space (DoS) and a ‘Deemed to be University’, based at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has partnered with the IIST, similar to the JPL-Caltech model in the United States. A Capacity Building Programme Office (CBPO) located at Bengaluru will coordinate joint research activities between ISRO centres and IIST. ]

9. What is the theme of the ‘World Development Report’ 2021?

A
Data for better lives

B
Development after Covid

C
Self-Reliant countries

D
Replacement of Jobs

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Data for better lives]

Explaination : [World Development Report 2021 has been released with the theme of ‘Data for Better Lives’— Leveraging greater value from data to help the poor This is the first World Development Report which focused solely on the role of data for development. As the Covid pandemic made the global data inequalities even greater, the report speaks on how do we tap the full value of data, to ensure equitable access for poor people.]

10. Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI)?

A
Injeti Srinivas

B
Y M Deosthalee

C
Sanjeev Kumar

D
Rajeshwara Rao

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Sanjeev Kumar]

Explaination : [Sanjeev Kumar, a 1991 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), it said. As per the order issued by the Personnel Ministry, Atish Chandra will be Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. As many as 22 bureaucrats have been appointed to different ministries.]

11. As per World Bank, which country is set to lead economic recovery of East Asian and Pacific economies?

A
India

C
China

D
Sri Lanka

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [China]

Explaination : [As per a latest forecast by the World Bank, China is set to lead economic recovery of East Asian and Pacific economies in the year 2021. The report predicts that China will grow by 8.1% in 2021, compared with 2.3% the previous year. The East Asian and Pacific region would grow by 7.4% compared to 1.2 per cent growth in 2020. ]

12. Which country is set to gift nearly 2 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the UN Peace keepers?

A
China

B
Russia

C
India

Show Answer

13. As per USA, India has been added to the list of countries affected by which disease?

A
Tuberculosis

B
AIDS

C
African swine fever

D
Ebola

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [African swine fever]

Explaination : [The United States of America (USA) has released a notification which classifies India among the list of countries affected with African swine fever disease. With this, the USA has imposed certain restrictions on import of pork and pork products from India. This notification has been made by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).]

14. When is “International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members” observed every year?

A
March 1

B
March 10

C
March 15

D
March 25

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [March 25]

Explaination : [Every year on the March 25th, “International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members” is observed by the United Nations. It is marked every year on the anniversary of abduction of a former journalist – Alec Collett. He was working for the UN – Relief and Works Agency in Palestine when he was abducted by armed gunman in 1985.]

15. When is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade observed by UN?

A
March 1

B
March 10

C
March 15

D
March 25

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [March 25]

Explaination : [Every year on 25th March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed by the United Nations. This day remembers those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. It also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice.]

16. Which Indian legendary singer won the Maharashtra Bhushan award, the state’s highest honour?

A
S P Bala Subramaniam

B
Asha Bhosle

C
Lata Mangeshkar

D
Mukesh Chand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Asha Bhosle]

Explaination : [The Maharashtra government announced that legendary singer Asha Bhosle has been selected for the Maharashtra Bhushan award for the year 2020, the State government’s highest honour. A committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made the decision. The award was instituted in 1996 by the State government to recognise outstanding achievements of eminent persons from the state.]

17. Who has been appointed as the CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).?

A
Rajeev Kumar

B
Rajeev Sinha

C
Sanjay Agarwal

D
Saurabh Garg

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Saurabh Garg]

Explaination : [Saurabh Garg – a senior bureaucrat and 1991 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as the Chief Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This has been announced by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The committee has appointed him in the rank of Additional Secretary.]

18. ‘DIKSHA’ web portal is associated with which Union Ministry?

A
Ministry of Education

B
Ministry of Labour and Employment

C
Ministry of Skill Development

D
Ministry of Agriculture

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Ministry of Education]

Explaination : [Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched 100+ comic books created by teachers and students of CBSE schools. The comics, which are aligned with topics of NCERT textbooks, can be accessed online on DIKSHA web portal or via the DIKSHA app on any android Smartphone. They can also be accessed through a new WhatsApp powered Chatbot. DIKSHA is a online learning portal.]

19. What is the name of India’s first earth observation satellite which is to be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit?

A
RISAT 11

B
GISAT 1

C
GSAT 7

D
INSAT 11

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [GISAT 1]

Explaination : [GISAT-1 is India’s first agile earth observation satellite that will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation has revised the launch schedule of the geo imaging satellite GISAT-1 on board GSLV-F10 launch vehicle. The 2,268 kg satellite is expected to be launched on April 18, this year. ]

20. ‘Shaheen 1-A’ is the nuclear- capable ballistic missile, recently launched by which country?

A
Pakistan

B
Afghanistan

D
Israel

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Pakistan]

Explaination : [Pakistan has successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile named Shaheen-1A. The missile has a range of 900 kilometres with sophisticated and advanced guidance system. In February, Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile which can strike targets up to 290 km. ]