Current Affairs Episode 10- 17 September 2020

Current Affairs Episode -10

Q.1. On 6 Sep 2020, Kesavananda Bharti was passed away. The Kesavananda Bharati judgment is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of India that clarifies that:-

1. Parliament can’t amend the Preamble of the Constitution
2. The constitution cannot abolish fundamental rights
3. Basic structure of Constitution cannot be amended by the parliament
4. None of these

Ans:- C

On September 6, 2020, Kesavananda Bharti , the head seer of Edneer Mutt in Kerala since 1961 passed away. He was famous for initiating the historic judgement of Supreme Court that ” Basic Structure of Constitution ” cannot be amended by the Parliament.

The Kerala Government had passed a land law with an objective to distribute land to the landless farmers. Kesavananda Bharti challenged the Kerala Government in 1970 on this Kerala land reforms legislation. He contended that the land reforms passed by the Kerala Government will impose restrictions on management of the mutt property that was the only source of income.

The petition filed by Bharati challenged three Constitutional Amendments 24, 25 and 29 that were passed by the Indira Gandhi Government to give power to the Parliament to change the fundamental rights. According to Bharti, the amendments breached his fundamental rights as follows.

Q.2. Who has won the formula one Italian Grand Prix 2020 \

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Pierre Gasly
3. Carlos Sainz Jr.
4. Lance Stroll

Ans:- B

Pierre Gasly (Scunderia Alphas Tauri, France) has won the Formula one Italian Grand Prix 2020 held at Autodromo Nazionale Monzas, Italy. This is his first Grand prix win. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Mclaren, Spain) came second followed by Lance Stroll (Racing point, Canada) in third place. Lewis Hamilton ended at 7^th place after he earned a 10-second stop and go penalty.

1. 3 The 35^th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific (APRC 35) conference chaired by whom?
2. Bangladesh
3. Bharat
4. Bhutan
5. Shri Lankaa

Ans : -C

The 35^th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC 35) was held virtual format due to the global COVID -19 pandemic. The Conference was held under the Chair of the Host Country , Bhutan. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Parshottam Rupala represented India in the conference. The conference focused on regional priorities and management, food security and nutrition.

Bangladesh will host the 36^th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific of the in 2022. It will be the first time that country will host the event, ever since it joined the organization in 1973. The Regional Conference is held once every two years. The first regional conference was held in Bangalore, India, in 1953.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:-

* Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters :- Rome, Italy

* Food and Agriculture Organization Head:- Qu Dongyu

* Food and Agriculture Organization Founded :- 16 October 1945

2020. 4 11^th edition of a biennial bilateral maritime exercise ” INDRA NAVY” conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 04 to 05 September 2020. Between which countries the exercise is held?
2021. India-France
2022. India-Bhutan
2023. India-Russia
2024. India- USA

Ans:- C

Indian Navy and Russian Navy has commenced the 11^th edition of a biennial bilateral maritime exercise “INDRA NAVY”. The biennial bilateral maritime exercise conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 04 to 05 September 2020.

Q.5. The Kaziranga Nation Park is famous for which animals ?

1. Asiatic one-horned rhinoceroses
2. Kashmir Stag
3. Asiatic lion
4. Wild Aisan buffalo

Ans:- A

Why in news: The Assam Government recently added 3, 053 hectrare (884 sq km) to Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga is home to Asiatic one-horned rhinos. The areas are being added after 35 years. The Kaziranga National Park hosts two-thirds of world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses. It is a world heritage site. It was declared a national park in 1974. It was declared a tiger reserve in 2007.

The IUCN status of one-horned rhinos is “Vulnerbale”

Q.6. Which country will host a summit of council of heads of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) on November 30, 2020?

1. China
2. Pakistan
3. Bharat
4. Russia

Ans: C

India is to host a summit of council of head of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) on November 30, 2020. India is in the plan of expanding its cooperation with the grouping. India was an observer of SCO till 2005. It became a member in 2017 along with Pakistan . Since then, India has been pushing for connectivity projects such as International North-South transport Corridor to gain more access to the resource rich Central Asian countries.

SCO: Headquarter :- Beijing, China

Q.7 ‘Toman’ which was in news recently, is the newly proposed currency of which country?

1. Venezuela
2. Iran
3. Bolivia
4. Marshall Islands

Ans:- B

The Parliament of Iran has passed a bill to allow the Government to change the national currency from Rial ottoman. Iran is going to change its currency from existing ‘Rial’ to ‘Toman’. The Iranian lawmakers voted on May 4, 2020 to approve an amendment to Iran’s Monetary and Banking Act of Iran to make the change. The amendment bill will cut four zeros from Iran’s Currency. Toman, the new currency is equal to 10,000 rials. The Move follows as sharp fall in the value of Rial as a result of crippling US sanctions.

Key Highlights:- The Central Bank of Iran will have two years to change Iran’s currency to Toman. This means that the existing currency of Iran will continues to remain legal tender along side “Toman” for two years.

*  During this period the old coins and bills will be gradually collected to replace them with new ones

* The new currency has been introduced amid the sharp fall in the value of Iranian currency as a result of crippling sanctions imposed by the United States

8. 8. Internet Saathi is a collaborative initiative of which multi – national companies along with Tata Trusts in India?
9. Facebook
10. Google
11. Microsoft
12. Amazon

Ans:- B

In 2015, only 1 out of every 10 internet user in rural India was a woman.Tata Trusts and Google came together to address this huge gender gap and introduced a digital literacy program, based on train the trainer model. Women from villages are trained on using the internet and are made equipped with data-enabled devices. These women are known as Internet Sathis and work as trainers, to help other women in their village to get started on their internet journey and benefit form it.

Q.9. What is ‘Mission Karmayogi’?

1. The National Programme for youths to make them skilled
2. The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building
3. Literacy programme for women
4. Aatmnirbhar Initiative

Ans:- B

Recently the Union government has rolled out the long overdue reform of the Indian bureaucracy. Mission Karmayogi – The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) aims to transform capacity – building in the bureaucracy through institutional and process reforms. According to the government, Mission Karmayogi envisages to prepare Indian civil servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic, enabling, transparent and technology-enabled.

Q.10. Which Indian sportsperson is set to take charge as the President of the Paralympic Committee of India?

1. Devendra Jhajharia
2. Deepa Malik
3. Mariyappan Thangavelu
4. Varun Singh Bhati

Ans:- B

India’s first and only woman Paralympic silver medallist , Deepa Malik is set to take charge as the President of the Paralympic Committee of India.

She had earlier announced her retirement from active sports. She is the only woman para-athlete to have been given the RaJiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. She is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Arjun Award. Deepa Malik won her silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janerio Summer Paralympics in shot put. She has won 58 national and 23 international medals.

Q.11. What is ‘Sachet’, that was recently commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard?

1. Interceptor Boat
2. Ship
3. Submarine
4. Chopper

Ans:- B

* Defence Minister of India has commissioned India Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet and two Interceptor Boats (IBs) C-450 and C-451 un Goa via video conference. Sachet means alert. It Is the first in the series of five Offsore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment. The ICS, which is the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, has established itself as a reliable force in coastal security.

* It operates under the Ministry of Defence

* Headquarter :- New Delhi

Q.12. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight-tested a Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). The test was conducted from where?

1. Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
2. Trombay, Maharashtra
3. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex , Odisha
4. None of these

Ans:- C

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successful flight-tested a Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), which is an unmanned scramjet vehicle with the ability to travel at six times the speed of sound. The test was conducted  from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex at Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha. Now, India has joined the elite club of the United States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test Hypersonic Technology. DRDO Chairman: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy. DRDO Headquarters: NewDelhi

Q13. International Literacy Day is observed globally on

1. 8 September
2. 10 September
3. 6 September
4. 11 September

Ans:- A

International Literacy Day is observed globally on 8^th September every year. The day spread awareness about the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies. International Literacy Day 2020 focuses on “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond,” especially on the role of educators and changing pedagogies. The 8^th of September was proclaimed International  Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1966. UNESCO Headquarters :- Paris, France. UNESCO Head:- Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Founded:- 16 November 1945.

Q.15. Which of the following has been recently on 23 August 2020 inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame?

1. Kallis, Sthalekar and Zaheer Abbas
2. Wasim Akram, Sydney Barnes & lan Botham
3. Bishan Bedi, Don Bradman & Kapil Dev
4. Allan Donald, Rahul Dravid & Anil Kumble

Ans:- A

6 Indian inducted into ICC Cricket hall of Fame: Bhishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar.

Q.15. Who has been conferred with Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019 ?

1. Kofi Annan
2. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
3. Sir David Attenborough
4. Centre for Science and Environment

Ans:- C

On September 7, 2020, Sir David Attenborough was conferred with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019.

David Attenborough

He is an English broadcaster and a historical. He is popular for writing and presenting BBC Natural History unit. He worked to make aware to preserve and protect biodiversity o the planet.

Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

* The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is an annual prestigious award named after former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

* It is conferred every year by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust since 1986

* It consists of a citation and a monetary award of Rs. 25 lakh

* The award recognizes creative efforts by individuals/organizations working towards

Notable Recipients of Indira Gandhi Peace Prize:-

Q.16. Where is the headquarter of Southern Naval Command?

1. Mumbai
2. Kochi
3. Kolkata
4. Chennai

Ans:- B

Commands	HQ Loacation
Western Naval Command	Mumbai
Eastern Naval Command	Visakhapatnam
Southern Naval Command	Kochi

 

Q.17. Vajra Prahar is a bilateral Military exercise between India &

1. Russia
2. Bangladesh
3. America
4. France

Ans:- C

Q.18. The book titled ‘A Song of India’ authored by

1. Ruskin Bond
2. Chetna Bhagat
3. Vasdev Mohi
4. Anupam Kher

Ans:- A

* The book titled ‘A Song of India’ authored by Ruskin Bond to be released on July 20, 2020. This book will mark the 70^th year of the author’s literary career. In A song of India , Ruskin Bond tells the story of his 16 year old self and how he was struggling to begin his writing jurney before he became a successful author.

Q.19. Which one of the following cricketer doesn’t get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award?

1. Rahul Dravid
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Rohit Sharma
4. Ms. Dhoni

Ans:-A

Rohit Sharma will be the fourth cricktere after legendary Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhone and Virat Kohli to be conferred the award. Tendulkar was awarded the Khel Ratna in 1998, Dhoni got it in 2007 and Kohli received in 2018.

Q.20. Where is headquarter of Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD)?

1. Jeddah Saudi Arabia
2. Paris, France
3. Vienna
4. Brussels, Belgium

Ans:- B

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