05,January, 2019 Current Affairs - Daily Current Affairs
05,January, 2019
Current Affairs - Daily Current Affairs
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1.
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On which date, the World Braille Day is
observed?
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Answer: Option C
Explanation:
The United
Nations observed the first official World Braille Day on 4 January. The aim
of the day is to raise awareness of the importance of Braille. It also aims
to raise awareness about the human rights of visually-impaired and
partially-sighted people, The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly
in November 2018.
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2.
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Who among the following was named as the
acting deputy defence secretary of United States?
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Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Pentagon
comptroller David Norquist was named acting deputy defence secretary of
United States. He has been the department's chief financial officer and
comptroller since May 2017. In addition to that, Deputy Secretary of Defence
Patrick Shanahan was appointed to serve as the acting secretary of defence.
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3.
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Name of the public sector miner, launched
the social media wall on the YouTube Channel Singareni Siren.
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Singareni
Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), a public sector miner, launched the social
media wall on the YouTube Channel Singareni Siren, Facebook application,
Instagram and Twitter handles, all at one place. It aims at bringing together
all the social media applications introduced to disseminate information on
the developments. The application would incorporate information pertaining to
coal production, transport and details of power generation by the National
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)-run plants in addition to welfare activities
taken up by the company for the employees as well as those residing in the
mining areas. Those interested can click the social media wall icon placed on
the website www.scclmines.com to view/download information about its activities.
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4.
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The mega international food and beverage
show 'Indus Food 2019' will be held in __________.
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
The mega
international food and beverage show 'Indus Food 2019' will be held in
Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh on 14-15 January 2019. The event is organised
jointly by Trade Promotion Council of India and Department of Commerce. The
event is a platform to promote India as a strong exporter of food and
beverage products to the world. Odisha will participate as a partner state of
the event.
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5.
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Global Healthcare Summit 2019 will be
held in __________.
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Answer: Option C
Explanation:
The 13th edition
of Global Healthcare Summit 2019 is to be held in Hyderabad from July 21 to
24. The summit is organized in partnership with the Global Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin. The organizing chapters of the conference
include Osmania, Gandhi, Kakatiya and Telangana Medical alumni, Association
of Telugu Medical Graduates of the U.S.A., Gandhi Medical College Global
Alliance, and Kakatiya Medical College Old Students' Association. More than
500 physicians are expected to attend the summit. The summit would have an
international research competition for which the American Association of
Physicians with Indian Origin (AAPI) would work in collaboration with a
leading academic medical college in Hyderabad.
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6.
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How many oil companies signed an MoU with
IIT Bombay for setting up Centre of Excellence in Oil, Gas and Energy?
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Answer: Option B
Explanation:
IIT Bombay and 7
public sector oil companies inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for
setting up Centre of Excellence in Oil, Gas and Energy. The 7 company
includes Indian Oil Corp; Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC); GAIL India Ltd;
Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL); Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL); Oil
India Ltd and Engineers India Ltd. This would link up energy industry and
academics to help jointly address energy requirements with new and
innovative, indigenous technology.
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7.
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India floats mega tender of 7.5 GW for
this state.
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Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Solar Energy
Corporation of India has invited solar power developers to construct 7.5 GW
grid connected projects in Leh and Kargil Districts in the state of Jammu
& Kashmir under a competitive bidding process. Out of the 7.5 GW
capacity, 2.5 GW will be constructed in the Kargil district and 5 GW in Leh
district. The tender is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of
building 100 gigawatts of solar capacity in the country by 2022.
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8.
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For how many stations, Indian Railways
plans to launch a WiFi facility?
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Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Railway Minister
Piyush Goyal instructed officials to provide WiFi facilities at a minimum of
2,000 stations as soon as possible. He also called for setting up a single
helpline number for all non-security railway complaints by the end of
January. Additionally, Point of Sale (PoS) machines will be distributed in
all trains to each catering staffer by March 31 to address complaints related
to overcharging by the caterer. The government will also replace conventional
coaches with modern Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) design coaches in all long
distance trains.
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9.
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Who is appointed as the MD & CEO of
Thyssenkrupp Industries India?
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Answer: Option B
Explanation:
Thyssenkrupp,
the German industrial giant, appointed Vivek Bhatia as the Managing Director
(MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Thyssenkrupp Industries India.
Mr.Bhatia was earlier the CEO - Asia Pacific at Thyssenkrupp AG, driving
group activities for all Thyssenkrupp companies in the region. Prior to
joining Thyssenkrupp, Mr. Bhatia was earlier with Boston Consulting Group,
India.
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10.
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Which Chinese space probe touched down on
the far side of the moon?
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Chang'e-4 lunar
probe, a Chinese space probe, touched down on the far side of the moon. The
probe, which has a lander and a rover, that was launched in December made the
soft landing and transmitted the first-ever close-range image of the far side
of the moon. It touched down at a targeted area near the moon's south pole in
the Von Karman Crater. The purpose of the Chang'e-4 includes astronomical
observation, surveying the moon's terrain, landform, and mineral makeup, and
measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of
its far side. The moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate
as it orbits our planet, so most of the far side or dark side is never
visible to us. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none has
landed on it. China's space agency hailed the event as a historic first and a
major achievement for the country's space programme.
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11.
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Scientists have developed a device named
WAND that works like a Pacemaker for which this part of the body?
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Scientists have
developed a device named WAND which stands for "Wireless artifact-free
neuromodulation device" that works like a "Pacemaker for the
brain" to monitor the brain's electrical activity and potentially
deliver fine-tuned treatments to patients suffering from diseases like
epilepsy and Parkinson's. The most important feature of the device is that it
is both wireless and autonomous, which means when it learns to recognize the
signs of tremor or seizures then it can adjust the stimulation parameters on
its own to prevent the unwanted movements. The device has custom integrated
circuits to record the full signal from both the subtle brain wave and the
strong electrical pulses.
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12.
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Who beats Cricketing legend Sachin
Tendulkar's to become the fastest batsman to score 19000 international runs
on the 1st day of 4th Test Match in Sydney against Australia?
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
Indian cricket
team captain, Virat Kohli beats Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar's to
become the fastest batsman to score 19000 international runs on the 1st day
of 4th Test Match in Sydney against Australia. Virat Kohli crossed 19000 runs
mark in 399 innings whereas Sachin Tendulkar took 432 innings to score 19000
runs.
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13.
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Indian Oil Corp (IOC)'s first LNG import
terminal was commissioned in __________, Tamil Nadu.
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Answer: Option C
Explanation:
Indian Oil Corp
(IOC), the nation's biggest oil firm, announced commission of its first Rs
5,151-crore worth Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal in Ennore,
Tamil Nadu. This is the first LNG import terminal IOC has built on its own
and will become operational by the end of January 2019. IOC holds 95 per cent
stake in the Ennore LNG import terminal. Tamil Nadu Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDCO) has 5 per cent. The firm is also working on laying a
1,385 km natural gas pipeline originating from the Ennore terminal to
Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu via Puducherry. Also, branch pipelines will be
laid in Madurai, Tuticorin, and Bengaluru to meet the LNG demand.
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14.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
___________ projects worth over Rs. 1500 crore on his one-day visit to
Imphal, Manipur.
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
On the Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi's one day visit to Imphal, Manipur, he
inaugurated 12 projects worth over Rs. 1500 crore. The 12 projects consisting
of eight key development projects related to water supply and tourism and
four schemes in Manipur. These include: An Integrated Check Post at Moreh,
Imphal, at a cost of over Rs. 125 crores, that will facilitate customs
clearance, foreign currency exchange, immigration clearance. the Dolaithabi
Barrage Project which completed at a total cost of Rs. 500 crore, the FCI
Food Storage Godown at Sawombung that had begun in December 2016, He
dedicated to the nation the 400 kV Double Circuit Silchar-Imphal Line that
was made at a cost of Rs. 700 crore. A buffer water reservoir at Ukhrul was
mentioned which would be helping the citizens till 2035. He inaugurated
improved and upgraded water supply for Churachandpur zone which will help the
citizens till 2031.
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15.
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How many free cooking gas (LPG)
connections has the government provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana (PMUY)?
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Answer: Option A
Explanation:
The government
gave out the 6-croreth free cooking gas (LPG) connection under the Pradhan
Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to make available cleaner fuel in every
household kitchens. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu handed over papers for an
LPG connection to Jasmina Khatoon from Shivpark, Khanpur in New Delhi to mark
the 6 crore LPG connections under PMUY. Under the scheme, the government
provides a subsidy of Rs 1,600 to state-owned fuel retailers for every free
LPG gas connection that they give to poor households. The 5-croreth free LPG
connection under the scheme was given to Takrdiran, a resident of Sangam
Vihar of the national capital, in August 2018 by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan.
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16.
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Who inagurated the 'Swachh Survekshan
2019' scheme recently?
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Answer: Option D
Explanation:
Housing and
Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the 'Swachh Survekshan
2019' on 4 January 2019. The cleanliness survey will cover 40 crore people
across over four thousand towns and cities. For the first time ever,
inspection will be conducted without giving any prior information to the
concerned official for real-time check and survey will be based on people's
feedback.
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17.
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PayU India CEO Amrish Rau joined as the
head of which of the following company?
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Answer: Option B
Explanation:
PayU India's CEO
Amrish Rau joined as the head of financial technology partnerships and
investments for Naspers' fin tech business. Nasper is South African parent of
PayU. Rau will continue to report to Laurent le Moal the chief executive of PayU,
which is headquartered in the Netherlands.
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18.
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The Kerala State Cabinet approved which
of the following Act to provide a regular income for Non-Resident Keralites?
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Answer: Option B
Explanation:
The Kerala State
Cabinet decided to recommend the Governor to promulgate an Ordinance amending
the Kerala Pravasi Welfare Act. The Act aims at providing a regular income
for Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) returning home. The amount collected
through the scheme will be used to fund development activities taken up by
Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and other agencies. The
Cabinet resolved to enhance the monthly remuneration for special Government
pleaders to Rs.1,20,000, senior government pleaders to Rs.1,10,000 and that
for government pleaders to Rs.1,00,000. The proposed scheme will enable the
Kerala Pravasi Welfare Board to receive deposits from non-resident Malayalis
and use it, along with a matching share from the government, to provide a
monthly dividend for investors.
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19.
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The scientists from this country launched
a Telescope to detect cosmic X-rays.
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Answer: Option B
Explanation:
US scientists
have successfully launched a telescope from Antarctica that analyses X-rays
arriving from distant neutron stars, black holes, and other exotic celestial
bodies. The name of the telescope is 'X-Calibur' instrument. It is carried by
a helium balloon and will reach an altitude of 130,000 feet. Neutron stars
are objects of very small radius.
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20.
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Govt launches Green-Ag, GEF-assisted
project, in partnership with;
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Answer: Option C
Explanation:
The Minister of
State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala informed
that the Government had launched a Global Environment Facility (GEF) assisted
project namely, "Green - Ag: Transforming Indian Agriculture for global
environment benefits and the conservation of critical biodiversity and forest
landscapes" in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO). The project was launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five
States namely (i) Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape, (ii) Mizoram: Dampa
Landscape, (iii) Odisha: Similipal Landscape, (iv)Rajasthan: Desert National
Park Landscape and v) Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape. The project is
aimed to mainstream biodiversity, climate change and sustainable land management
objectives and practices into Indian agriculture. Besides this it is also
supposed to catalyse transformative change of India's agricultural sector to
support achievement of national and global environmental benefits and
conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes. The project will
be funded through 33.5 million dollar grant from the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) implemented by the government of India and the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
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