Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 18th March 2020

Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 of 18th March February 2020. Daily GK quiz online for bank & competitive exam. Here we have given the Daily Current Affairs Quiz based on the previous days Daily Current Affairs updates. Candidates preparing for IBPS, SBI, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 & other competitive exams can make use of these Current Affairs Quiz.

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1) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given its approval to a proposal of the Haryana Government to rename Amin village in Kurukshetra district to _______.

A) Abhiman Gaon

B) Abhimanu Gram

C) Abhimanyupur

D) Abhimanpur

E) Abhimanyu village

2) Which company has joined hands with NASSCOM Foundation to launch Initiative To Empower People With Disabilities ?

A) HCL

B) HP

C) IBM

D) Dell

E) Microsoft

3) Who has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) ?

A) Suresh Verma

B) Ramesh Singh

C) Anand Mehta

D) Ravinder Singh Dhillon

E) Prakash Singh

4) Which state has cancelled the annual Chaitra Jatra festival as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 infection ?

A) Telangana

B) Odisha

C) Kerala

D) Haryana

E) Andhra Pradesh

5) The Ordnance Factories Day is observed annually on which date ?

A) March 19

B) March 22

C) March 23

D) March 18

E) March 20

6) Jairam Kulkarni who passed away at the age of 88 was a famous _______.

A) Producer.

B) Director

C) Actor

D) Singer

E) Writer

7) The World Bank has increased the  COVID-19 response funding to ________ billion dollars to help combat the disease and assist countries.

A) 11

B) 13

C) 14

D) 15

E) 17

8) Imtiaz Khan who passed away recently was related with which field ?

A) Sports

B) Politics

C) Acting

D) Writing

E) Direction

9) S&P has lowered India’s growth forecast to _______ per cent as the global economy enters recession amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

A) 5.1

B) 5.3

C) 5.2

D) 5.5

E) 5.6

10) Bharti AXA has joined hands with which bank to plan insurance cover for Coronavirus ?

A) ICICI

B) Axis Bank

C) Kotak Mahindra

D) Yes Bank

E) DBS bank

11) The board of which bank has approved a share swap for Allahabad Bank merger with 115 equity shares of Indian bank to be exchanged for every 1000 shares of Allahabad bank ?

A) Andhra Bank

B) UCO Bank

C) Indian Bank

D) Vijaya Bank

E) Dena Bank

12) Name the airport which has declared itself as single use plastic free from March 1,  2020 ?

A) Begumpet Airport

B) Port Blair Airport

C) GMR Hyderabad International Airport

D) IGI Airport

E) Chandigarh Airport

13) Which railway station has introduced signage in Braille for visually challenged persons  ?

A) Secunderabad

B) Jaipur

C) Delhi

D) Jodhpur

E) Dehradun

14) India  has requested the World Bank for funding of __________ million for a waterway connectivity grid in East India.

A) 65

B) 55

C) 70

D) 60

E) 55

15) Crypto exchange Binance along with which company have decided to set up USD 50 million Indian blockchain fund ?

A) FinX

B) WazirX

C) Bitstamp

D) Hubei

E) Coinbase

16) Who has been appointed as the Chief Executive officer of HSBC ?

A) Robert Brian

B) Gynn Lann

C) Noel Quinn

D) Tim Sorcese

E) Thomas Manuel

17) The students of which college have developed an app to enable district wise tracking of Covid 19 cases ?

A) DBS College

B) Symbiosis College

C) Dehradun Institute of Technology

D) Mahindra Ecole Centrale College of Engineering

E) Christ College

18) The scientists of which university have developed a new hand-sanitizer amidst reports of counterfeit being sold in the market ?

A) IIT- Roorkee

B) CSIR-NPL

C) IIT-Bombay

D) IIT-Madras

E) CSIR-IHBT

19) UEFA has put on hold the play-offs of _______ due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A) UEFAX

B) UEFA2020

C) Europa2020

D) LaLiga2020

E) Euro 2020

20) Who has joined WHO’s Safe Hands Challenge amid the coronavirus pandemic to promote the importance of handwashing ?

A) Arjun Rampal

B) Sachin Tendulkar

C) Kareena Kapoor

D) Dia Mirza

E) Virat Kohli

21) As per the new guidelines by RBI for Payment aggregators (PA), what is the required net worth required by new entities being set up as PAs ?

A) 10 crore

B) 15 crore

C) 20 crore

D) 25 crore

E) 30 crore

22) US Africa Command has cancelled which  annual military exercise due to novel coronavirus pandemic ?

A) AfIndex

B) Desert Eagle

C) Foal Goal

D) Vajra

E) African Lion

Answers :

1) Answer: C

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given its approval to a proposal of the Haryana Government to rename Amin village in Kurukshetra district to Abhimanyupur.

The MHA gives its approval to the change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.

These organisations have to confirm that there is no such city, town or village in their records with a name similar to the proposed one.

The exercise of changing the name of a village or town or a city could be done through an executive order, while adding that in case of renaming a state, the government would require an amendment in the Constitution with a simple majority in Parliament.

2) Answer: E

Microsoft India and NASSCOM Foundation launched the Innovate for Accessible India campaign aimed at empowering people with disabilities with the technology and tools required for better integration into society and access to equal opportunities.

The campaign will be an aggregator of workable technology solutions developed using Microsoft cloud, artificial intelligence and other technologies that address gaps faced by people with disabilities, especially in acquiring services and support in education, skill building, employment, mobility, rehabilitation and other government services.

The campaign will invite applications from students, citizens and social impact organisations to build customized solutions that address challenges faced by people with disabilities across the 21 officially recognized disabilities.

3) Answer: D

Ravinder Singh Dhillon, was appointed as a Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dhillon, posted as Director (Projects), has been cleared for appointment as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) in PFC with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post on or after June 1 till the date of his superannuation on May 31, 2023.

4) Answer: B

The famous annual Chaitra Jatra festival scheduled to be held at Odisha’s Tara Tarini hill shrine was cancelled as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 infection.

According to Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB), more than 1.5 lakh visitors were to arrive for the festival. Of these, around 50,000 were expected to reach the hill top to offer prayers to the deity, while the rest would have enjoyed the festival at the foothill.

The administration withdrew all public services that were to be provided for the jatra. It has been decided to not allow any congregation at the foothill.

5) Answer: D

Ordnance Factories Day is observed every year on March 18th all over India.

On this occasion, the Ordnance Factory, Field Gun Factory, Small Arms Factory, Ordnance Parachute Factory, and Ordnance Equipment Factory acknowledge the day.

The production of India’s oldest Ordnance Factory, which is at Cossipore of Kolkata, was started on 18th of March, 1802.

6) Answer: C

Noted Marathi actor Jairam Kulkarni passed away due to old-age related ailments, he was 88.

His last movie Khel Aayushyacha was released recently.

Kulkarni had acted in more than 150 films, including Chal Re Laxya Mumbaila, Ashi Hi Banwabanwi, Thartharat, Rangat Sangat to name a few.

7) Answer: C

The World Bank has announced 14 billion US Dollars to assist companies and countries in their efforts to respond to the rapid spread of COVID-19. It has added 2 billion dollars to the initial package.

The announcement came amid fear of a major global recession in the wake of the coronavirus that has impacted more than 120 countries. The package will strengthen national systems for public health preparedness, including for disease containment, diagnosis and treatment, and support the private sector.

World Bank President David Malpass stated, it is essential that we shorten the time to recovery. He added that the World Bank is committed to a fast and flexible response based on the needs of developing countries

8) Answer: C

Bollywood actor and theatre personality, Imtiaz Khan has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 77. Apart from his wife, TV actress Krutika Desai, the late actor and director is also survived by his daughter Ayesha Khan.

Imtiaz, who acted in 80-odd Hindi films, mostly in negative roles, from 1970s and 1990s, was a trained actor who had made a mark in theatre long before he was drawn to movies. Imtiaz is also the brother of late actor Amjad Khan and son of veteran actor Jayant. The cause of his death is not yet known.

9) Answer: C

S&P Global Ratings  lowered India’s economic growth forecast to 5.2 per cent for 2020, saying the global economy is entering a recession amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency had earlier projected a growth rate of 5.7 percent during the 2020 calendar.

Asia-Pacific economic growth in 2020 will more than halve to less than 3 per cent as the “global economy enters a recession”, S&P stated in a statement.

An enormous first-quarter shock in China, shutdowns across the US and Europe, and local virus transmission guarantees a deep recession across Asia-Pacific, stated Shaun Roache, chief Asia-Pacific economist at S&P Global Ratings.

By recession, S&P meant at least two quarters of well below-trend growth sufficient to trigger rising unemployment.

10) Answer: E

DBS Bank India  stated it has tied-up with Bharti AXA to roll out a complimentary insurance plan covering all medical conditions, including COVID-19. The plan would cover all medical conditions, including COVID-19, and up to 10 days of hospitalisation, with a cover of Rs 5,000 per day, for a 30-day period.

Additionally, all DBS customers can purchase health insurance products that are currently offered on the digibank app through their general insurance partners. The bank is conducting periodic meetings with its insurance partners to ensure seamless and end-to-end online access to these facilities and improvisation to the products, it stated.

11) Answer: C

Indian Bank will issue 115 shares for every 1,000 shares of Allahabad Bank for merging the latter with itself, according to an exchange filing.

As per the fair equity share exchange ratio approved by the board of directors of the bank, 115 equity share of Indian Bank are to be exchanged for every 1,000 shares of Allahabad Bank, Indian Bank stated in a regulatory filing.

In a separate filing, Union Bank stated it has set March 23, 2020, as the record date for issuing and allotting equity shares of Union Bank of India to the shareholders of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank.

In the biggest consolidation exercise in the banking space, the government in August 2019 had announced four mega mergers of public sector banks, bringing down their total number to 12 from 27 in 2017, a move aimed at making state-owned lenders global sized banks.

As per this plan, United Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Commerce will be merged with Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank will be merged with Canara Bank; Allahabad Bank will be amalgamated with Indian Bank; and Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will be consolidated with Union Bank of India.

12) Answer: C

GMR Hyderabad International Airport has declared itself as a Single-Use Plastic (SUP)-free airport from March 1, 2020, and zero tolerance on use of such material has been imposed across the airport.

This includes all concessionaires and service providers operating at the airport. This initiative is in line with the government’s campaign to phase out SUP by 2022.

The airport had been steadily phasing out the use of non-recyclable plastic over the past few years. And in the final phase, the ‘Single-Use Plastic Free Airport’ campaign was initiated in February 2020, during which the airport stakeholders, like the food & beverage (F&B) outlets, fully switched over to sustainable eco-friendly alternatives like corn starch plates, wooden spoons and forks, while retailers started using only biodegradable boxes and covers to reduce the airport’s plastic footprint.

Hyderabad International Airport has also been encouraging eco-friendly products like jute bags through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF)

13) Answer: E

Dehradun Railway Station has become friendly for visually challenged persons with the introduction of signages and maps in Braille.

Arun Prakash, Divisional Railway Manager stated, Dehradun Railway Station has been made friendly for the visually challenged. The CSR funds of a private company funded this project. Everywhere instructions have been put up in Braille so that the visually challenged persons can understand.

The Railway department along with an NGO, Anuprayas, took the initiative. Now visually challenged people can easily reach the inquiry desk, refreshment room and other places at the station due to the instructions that have been put up in Braille, he added

14) Answer: C

The World Bank may provide a grant to develop India’s under-utilised network of rivers and canals as an alternative mode of transport.

The Shipping Ministry has stated it will seek a technical assistance grant of $70 million from the World Bank to build a transport connectivity grid linking waterways in the eastern region with its South Asian neighbours.

The Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG) project aims to provide seamless connectivity between National Waterway-1 (NW-1) and NW-2 through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes, and develop an economic corridor of 4,200 km of waterways and coastal shipping for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the North-Eastern States. The aim is to pave the way for the regional integration of five countries — India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar — in the South Asian region, a Shipping Ministry official stated.

EWaCTG seeking technical assistance of $70 million from the World Bank was appraised and recommended for approval by the screening committee of the Department of Economic Affairs during a meeting on February 18, the official stated.

Developing a water grid was one of the Budget announcements of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in 2019

15) Answer: B

After the Supreme Court lifted a ban on financial institutions to trade in digital currencies, global cryptocurrency exchange, Binance announced a $50 million blockchain fund for India along with WazirX, a homegrown crypto start-up, which it acquired last year.

Binance’s investments in the blockchain ecosystem come at a time when the world’s largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin saw a sudden dip below $5,000 as markets across the world crashed amid Coronavirus scare.

The global digital trading exchange stated the fund created will help in pushing the growth of the blockchain ecosystem by funding start-ups. The investments will include, but not limited to, fiat-to-digital assets gateway solutions, trading platforms, payment, and remittance solutions, digital asset wallets, stable coins, DeFi platforms, decentralised applications etc., Binance stated.

16) Answer: C

HSBC stated  it appointed Noel Quinn as chief executive officer, handing the insider and interim boss the reins of Europe’s biggest bank and ending months of speculation an external candidate could get the role.

Quinn, who joined HSBC in 1987, took interim charge of HSBC last August after the shock ousting of John Flint and has been auditioning for the permanent job since Chairman Mark Tucker preferred an external candidate.

Quinn takes the helm as the bank faces a tough outlook, with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic adding to its longstanding woes of underperformance in the United States and a struggling investment bank.

Quinn’s appointment ends speculation over who will run HSBC as it heads into what could prove the biggest economic shock in recent times as the coronavirus epidemic brings global travel and consumer spending in many countries to a grinding stop.

17) Answer: D

The students of Mahindra Ecole Centrale College of Engineering, promoted by Tech Mahindra, have developed a district-wise tracking app to help locate COVID-19 cases in the country. This will help people avoid the virus-prone areas or take precautionary measures.

Besides, it will also help policy makers and authorities to pool in resources to address the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The tracker, available at https://covindia.netlify.com, collates information and links it with their geographical location.

The data for the tracker is obtained from credible and reliable sources such as the Ministry of Health and other reputed news organisations. A team of students will track and pull out data and feed it to the app, an executive of Mahindra Ecole Centrale College of Engineering stated.

18) Answer: E

The demand for products such as sanitizer is increasing amidst reports of preventive measures against coronavirus and many counterfeit materials being sold in the market. In view of this, a new hand-sanitizer has been developed by the scientists of CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) based in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Director of IHBT stated that The natural flavours, active tea constituents and alcohol content in this hand-sanitizer have been used as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the special things is that chemicals like parabens, triclosan, synthetic fragrance and phthalates have not been used in this product.

The technology has been transferred to Palampur based company M/s A.B. Scientific Solutions for the commercial production of this newly developed hand-sanitizer. An agreement has been signed between CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) and the company.

19) Answer: E

Champions League and Europa League matches are also halted

UEFA has put all club and national team competitions for men and women “on hold until further notice”, European football’s governing body stated in a statement , after deciding to postpone Euro 2020 for a year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision puts a halt to the current Champions League and Europa League matches, with global sport being brought to a virtual standstill by the coronavirus pandemic.

The play-offs for Euro 2020, which were scheduled for the end of March, will now be played at the start of June “subject to a review of the situation,” stated the body.

UEFA stated it has set up a “working group” involving leagues and club representatives to examine the overall calendar situation facing the game with the bulk of the continent’s domestic championships having stopped play.

20) Answer: B

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar joined WHO’s #SafeHandsChallenge to promote the importance of washing hands amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a video shared by the Master Blaster, Tendulkar is seen washing his hands thoroughly and also talking about the importance of washing hands with soap.

In an attempt to spread the importance of hygiene amid the coronavirus pandemic, star Indian athlete Hima Das also took up the #SafeHands challenge and urged the likes of Tendulkar, M.C. Mary Kom, Sania Mirza and Rani Rampal to take it forward.

Earlier, ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu had also taken up the challenge and had posted a video on Twitter in which she was seen washing her hands with soap for almost 30 seconds.

21) Answer: B

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  stated it will regulate in entirety the activities of payment aggregators (PAs) and provide baseline technology-related recommendations to payment gateways (PGs) in view of the important functions of these intermediaries in the online payments space as also their role vis-à-vis handling funds.

As per RBI guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways, non-bank PAs shall require authorisation from RBI under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSSA).

Existing PAs have to achieve a net worth of Rs.15 crore by March 31, 2021 and a net worth of Rs.25 crore on or before March 31, 2023. The net worth of Rs.25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter.

New PAs should have a minimum net worth of Rs.15 crore at the time of application for authorisation and have to attain a net worth of Rs.25 crore by the end of the third financial year of the grant of authorisation. The net worth of Rs.25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter

22) Answer: E

The annual African Lion military exercise became the latest casualty of the global novel coronavirus pandemic with this year’s event being canceled. The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated , the decision to cancel the exercise was made based on international travel restrictions associated with the novel coronavirus and to minimize the risk of exposure to US and partner nation service members.

African Lion had been scheduled to take place from March 23 to April 4 in Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal, with nearly 4,000 US service members and about 5,000 troops from Morocco. The command called off the entire event and began planning for next year’s African Lion 21.

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