Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 20th August 2020

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Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 of 20th August 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) World Mosquito Day is observed annually on which date to appreciate the efforts taken by healthcare officials in helping people fight against various incurable diseases caused by Malaria?

A) August 11

B) August 12

C) August 20

D) August 15

E) August 17

2) Which of the following publishing houses has announced the launch of Sudha Murthy’s next book ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’?

A) Aleph

B) Hachette

C) Harper Collins

D) Penguin

E) Rupa

3) A newly built Interceptor boat of the Indian Coast Guard built by Larsen and Toubro was launched in which city?

A) Haldia

B) Mangalore

C) Kochi

D) Kandla

E) Surat

4) ‘Chariots of Fire’ star Ben Cross who passed away recently belonged to which country?

A) Germany

B) UK

C) US

D) Austria

E) France

5) Which division of Indian Railways has introduced a drone-based surveillance system to protect railway assets?

A) South Eastern Railway

B) South Central Railway

C) Eastern Railway

D) Central Railway

E) Northern Railway

6) The 11-day Lokajat Yatra has Begins In which state and would be taken from Siddhpeeth Nanda Devi Mandir to Chota Kailash?

A) Chattisgarh

B) Uttar Pradesh

C) Uttarakhand

D) Haryana

E) Madhya Pradesh

7) Which bank has launched a digital `Loan against Securities` under the Loan in Seconds platform for instant loan disbursements?

A) Bandhan Bank

B) ICICI

C) SBI

D) HDFC

E) Yes Bank

8) Who will head the ten member committee set up by IRDAI to recommend setting up loss prevention entities for non-life insurers?

A) Surya Kumar

B) TL Alamelu

C) Suresh Mathur

D) SC Khuntia

E) V Jayanth Kumar

9) Which company has launched the FerroHaat App, a  first-of-its-kind mobile application (App) in the world to source steel scrap from the traders?

A) Arcelor Steel

B) Mittal Steel

C) JSW

D) Tata Steel

E) SAIL

10) Name the app launched by Google in India to help people find entry-level jobs.

A) GoRecruit

B) GoTalent

C) Recruit

D) Talent

E) Kormo

11) Who has been sworn in as the President of Dominican Republic?

A) José Rafael Abinader

B) Leonel Fernández

C) Luis Rodolfo Abinader

D) Gonzalo Castillo

E) Danilo Medina

12) Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who resigned after being detained by soldiers was the President of which country?

A) Malawi

B) Ghana

C) Senegal

D) Mali

E) Ivory Coast

13) Who among the following has been awarded the Star 2020 Certificate by World Book of Records, London?

A) Sunil Sharma

B) Ganesh Vilas Lengare

C) Ramesh Singh

D) Paravesh Kumar

E) Bandhar Kavathe

14) Which of the following festivals has won 5 Awards At WOW Awards Asia – 2020, after 15 lakh tourists attended the event?

A) Puthandu

B) Ugadi

C) Ashura

D) Vishu

E) Dwijing

15) Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology  and startup incubated by which institution has come up with a solution using decentralised approach to detect, manage and treat COVID-19 patients in local communities?

A) IIT Mandi

B) IIT Madras

C) IIT Delhi

D) IIT Roorkee

E) IIT Hyderabad

16) Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan who passed away due to heart attack was a veteran _______.

A) Athlete

B) Producer

C) Cricketer

D) Singer

E) Director

17) Sadbhavana Diwas is observed on which date to mark the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi?

A) August 11

B) August 13

C) August 14

D) August 15

E) August 20

18) An MoU has been signed between which institution and the Delhi Police for extending ayurvedic mode of preventive and promotive health services in the residential colonies of the force?

A) Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences

B) National Institute of Ayurveda

C) AIIMS Delhi

D) All India Institute of Ayurveda

E) Max Healthcare

19) Which city has been declared as the cleanest city in national Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards?

A) Dehradun

B) Varanasi

C) Indore

D) Chandigarh

E) Pune

20) The government of which state/ UT has published its work done under the ‘Back to Village (B2V)’ programme showcasing all 1930 projects during financial year 2019-20?

A) Chhattisgarh

B) Daman & Diu

C) Delhi

D) Jammu and Kashmir

E) Punjab

21) Which insurance company has partnered with Element AI to develop a strategic AI roadmap for the new-age insurer and prioritise investments?

A) Nippon

B) Max Bupa

C) Religare

D) Apollo Munich

E) Edelweiss Tokio Life

22) Who among the following attended the inaugural ceremony of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament?

A) Prahlad Patel

B) OM Birla

C) Prahlad Joshi

D) Amit Shah

E) Nityanand Rai

23) The Union Cabinet has given approval to set up which agency to help benefit the job seeking youth of the country?

A) National Testing Agency

B) National Service Agency

C) National Appointment Agency

D) National Employment Agency

E) National Recruitment Agency

24) Which country has become the first in the Arab world to connect a nuclear power plant to the national grid?

A) Iran

B) Oman

C) UAE

D) Saudi Arabia

E) Qatar

25) The government of which state will provide poor people Rs. one per kg wheat, rice, salt from September 1?

A) Chhattisgarh

B) Uttar Pradesh

C) Punjab

D) Madhya Pradesh

E) Haryana

26) As per the World Bank India is likely to see a steep contraction in GDP than the _______ per cent forecast projected for FY21.

A) 4

B) 3.2

C) 3

D) 2.5

E) 2

27) Who among the following has assumed charge as the Chairman of Fertilisers Association of India?

A) Sundeep Kumar

B) Anand Verma

C) KS Raju

D) Prashant Kumar

E) Kishor Rungta

28) Which financial services firm has launched the ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans’ service on WhatsApp?

A) Fullerton India

B) HDB Financial services

C) Tata Capital

D) Bajaj Capital

E) Bajaj Finserv

29) Which organisation has signed an MoU with International Professional Scouting Organisation (IPSO) to deliver a number of courses and webinars with regards to scouting in India?

A) Basketball Federation of India

B) AIFF

C) I-League

D) Hockey India League

E) Indian Cricket League

30) As per a joint report by ILO and ADB, _______lakh youth in India have lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

A) 32

B) 31

C) 41

D) 35

E) 30

31) The Jute Corporation of India has signed an MoU with which company to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in year 2021-22?

A) Ganga Kaveri Seeds

B) Proline Seeds Company

C) Syngenta India

D) Kaveri Seed Company

E) National Seeds Corporation

32) The Environment Information System of which city administration has launched a new website to make it accessible for the Divyangjan?

A) Bengaluru

B) Chandigarh

C) Delhi

D) Pune

E) Gwalior

Answers :

1) Answer: C

World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.

The theme for the year 2020 is on the topic ‘Malaria’. The day is celebrated to appreciate the efforts taken by healthcare officials, NGOs and government agencies in helping people fight against various incurable diseases caused by Malaria.

2) Answer: D

The new book titled ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’ aims at entertaining children featuring 20 stories.

Penguin Random House announced a new children’s book by author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy to mark her 70th birthday.

The stories were penned to entertain children who found themselves “homebound during these days, without school and holiday plans” amid the pandemic.

The publishing house revealed the first look of the book which is slated for launch in November.

3) Answer: E

A newly-built “Interceptor” boat of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was launched in Surat.

Interceptor Boat ‘ICGS C-454’, built by Larsen and Toubro, was launched into the service of the Coast Guard.

The 27-meter-long boat has a maximum speed of 45 nautical miles or 83 kilometers per hour, and has excellent seakeeping, maneuverability and endurance range of 500 nautical miles.

4) Answer: B

British actor Ben Cross, best known for his starring role in the 1981 Oscar-winning sports drama ‘Chariots of Fire’ passed away.

Cross, a veteran stage actor born in London, made his big-screen debut alongside Sean Connery and Michael Caine in Richard Attenborough’s 1977 World War II epic ‘A Bridge Too Far’.

5) Answer: D

The Mumbai Division of Central Railway zone has recently procured two Ninja UAVs.

For drone flying, surveillance as well as for its maintenance, a team of four Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff, Mumbai has been trained.

These drones are capable of Real Time Tracking, Video Streaming, as well as they can be operated on Automatic Fail Safe Mode. The extensive use of drones has been planned by the RPF for the purpose of Railway security.

RPF has procured as many as nine drones at a cost of Rs 31.87 lakh at Central Railway, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Modern Coaching Factory, and Raebareli.

The drone-based surveillance system acts as an “Eye in the sky” and monitors the whole area.

6) Answer: C

The 11-day Nanda Devi Lokajat yatra began in Uttarakhand.

During this yatra, Goddess Nanda Devi would be taken from Siddhpeeth Nanda Devi Mandir to Chota Kailash. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the 11-day yatra began from Kurud on August 14.

7) Answer: E

Yes Bank announced the launch of digital ‘Loan against Securities’, a unique solution enabling customers to link their mutual funds digitally and avail quick and hassle-free loans.

This digital solution has been launched under YES BANK’s ‘Loan in Seconds’ platform, allowing customers to set an instant credit limit against securities held.

Customers can now avail a loan digitally without any additional documentation from the safety and comfort of their homes.

8) Answer: B

A working group constituted by the insurance regulator has recommended the setting up of a non-profit company to reduce insurance losses arising from property and motor related liabilities for the industry.

The ten-member committee headed by Irdai member T L Alamelu has recommended the regulator and industry participants to join hands in establishing this company.

The committee which has representations from the regulators, insurers, experts and brokers was constituted in December of 2019 to study various risks and losses suffered by companies insuring property and motor related losses.

The Company may also set standards and benchmarks for various activities from the insurance perspective.

However, the company cannot directly get involved in commercial activities such as risk inspection and management.

9) Answer: D

Steel Recycling Business, a division of Tata Steel, has launched FerroHaat, a first-of-its-kind mobile application (App) in the world, to source steel scrap from the traders.

The new App is a major step by the Company to organise India’s scrap market while also providing a reliable source of scrap metal for the Steel Industry.

The FerroHaat App is a LIVE 24×7 marketplace to sell scrap.

It is user friendly and hosts different sections like Bazaar for business transactions, Khata for a snapshot of the supplier’s account, Samachar for vital market information and Abhaar for recognition and appreciation initiatives.

10) Answer: E

Tech giant Google has expanded its employment application – Kormo Jobs – to India as it is looking forward to helping millions of Indians to land entry-level jobs.

The company had launched the employment application in Bangladesh in 2018 and further expanded it to Indonesia.

Google had also made Kormo Jobs available in India under the brand Jobs as a Spot on its payment application – Google Pay.

The application will help users to identify entry-level job opportunities and also to learn new skills and create CVs.

11) Answer: C

Luis Rodolfo Abinader was sworn in as president of the Dominican Republic.

Abinader, a 53-year-old businessman who had never held elected office, was elected to a four-year term on July 5, ending a 16-year run in power by a center-left party. He finished second in the 2016 presidential election.

Abinader’s Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) won the elections with 53% vote, while Gonzalo Castillo who was the candidate of the ruling PLD got 37.7%.

12) Answer: D

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has resigned, after being detained by soldiers.

Mr Keïta won a second term in elections in 2018, but there has been anger over corruption, the mismanagement of the economy and a dispute over legislative elections. It has prompted several large protests in recent months.

13) Answer: B

Solapur based social activist Ganesh Vilas Lengare has been awarded the Star 2020 Certificate by the World Book of Records, London.

The organisation, found in 2017, honours personalities for their outstanding contribution towards humanity and universal peace.

Out of the 21 schemes that were launched by him to assist the people, the most important was the COVID patient contact tracing, that was implemented with the help of Solapur district authorities.

Besides providing masks and water bottles to migrant labourers, who were using Solapur-Pune highway to reach their home town in neighbouring states, Mr. Lengare also arranged free distribution of grocery and vegetables for the poor.

14) Answer: E

The successful fourth edition of the Dwijing Festival with over 15 lakh tourists attending the 12-day event has emerged as the winner in five categories at the prestigious WOW Awards Asia, 2020.The awards were won in the below-mentioned categories

Rural Activation of the year.

The Dwijing Festival is an annual river festival celebrated in the BTAD region with various colourful events viz. ethnic trade and food festivals, exhibitions, games & sports, river campaign & adventure activities, and various cultural programs that make it a center of attraction and the New Year Festival.

The festival is organized with the vision to encourage tourism, boost the will of the promising indigenous talent, and promote local products. The festival was also meant to provide help to the flood victim families through charity generation and distribution.

15) Answer: B

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India in collaboration with ‘Modulus Housing’ a start-up incubated by IIT Madras has come up with a solution using decentralised approach to detect, manage and treat COVID-19 patients in local communities through portable microstructures.

A portable microstructure named as “MediCAB”, which is modular, portable, durable, easy to set up and can be customised as per the requirements of the customer.

It is foldable and is composed of four zones – a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward, and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure. It can be easily transported and installed anywhere in geographic locations and can be erected in just two hours with the help of four persons.

16) Answer: C

Veteran cricketer Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan passed away due to a heart attack.

Kasturirangan was a former cricketer-administrator and the BCCI curator. He had mostly played his matches for Mysore in Ranji Trophy as the right-arm medium pace bowler from 1948 to 1963.

17) Answer: E

The Congress party observes former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary as Sadbhavna Diwas every year. He was born on August 20, 1944.

The Congress observes Sadbhavna Diwas to promote national integration and harmony. Several events are organized remembering Rajiv Gandhi on this day.

18) Answer: D

A MoU was signed between the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and the Delhi Police for extending ayurvedic mode of preventive and promotive health services in the residential colonies of the force.

These services will be provided by AIIA through a mobile unit named ”Dhanwantari Rath” and Police Wellness Centres.

AYURAKSHA, a joint venture of AIIA, an autonomous institute under AYUSH ministry, and the Delhi police, aims to maintain the health of frontline COVID warriors through ayurvedic immunity boosting measures.

In continuation of the project, Ayurveda Preventive and Promotive health care are now planned to be extended to the families of Delhi police personnel.

19) Answer: C

Indore in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded as the cleanest city in the country in the Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards. The city bagged the position for the fourth consecutive time. The awards were presented by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a function held virtually.

Among the towns along the banks of river Ganga, Varanasi has been awarded the cleanest town award. New Delhi has been awarded as the cleanest capital city in the country. Chhattisgarh was awarded the first place in the states with over 100 cities while Jharkhand bagged it for being the state in the category of states with less than 100 cities. Jalandhar Cantonment Board was conferred the cleanest cantonment board in the country. Ahmedabad in Gujarat was awarded for being the cleanest city with over 40 lakh population.

129 awards were handed over to the top performing cities and States in today’s Swachh Mahotsav event. Swachh Survekshan 2020’, was completed in 28 days and witnessed registration of 1 crore 70 lakh citizens on Swachhata App.

20) Answer: D

In a first of its kind, the government of Jammu and Kashmir published its work done under the ‘Back to Village (B2V)’ programme.

All the 1930 projects finished during the financial year 2019-20 have been showcased in an e-book recently released by the Finance department.

The same has been done to bring in transparency and accountability in the expenditure-making by the government departments.

The e-book, depicting the pictorial images and other details of all the B2V works completed in previous year has been released to fetch the necessary feedback from the general public.

The government is keen to draw feedback from the public so that they have say in the development process going in their areas.

About 3 to 5 crore rupees were released to districts to enable them to meet urgent public demands raised during the B2V programme.

Objectives Of B2V Programme

The core objectives of the B2V programme, as mentioned in the e-book, was to energize Panchayati Raj Institutions towards efficient delivery of mechanisms related to various government schemes.

It also helped in collecting feedback from the public on government welfare schemes and developmental programmes.

In the summer of 2019, the government started an initiative “Back to Village (B2V)”, a public outreach programme to bridge the gap between administration and common masses.

21) Answer: E

Edelweiss  Tokio Life Insurance has partnered with Element AI, a global developer of artificial intelligence-powered (AI) solutions and products, to develop a strategic AI roadmap for the new-age insurer and prioritise investments.

The Element AI Advisory and Enablement team will work closely with Edelweiss Tokio Life to create an actionable roadmap for strategic AI deployment for the company, which will ultimately support a detailed AI transformation plan.

This work will utilize unique learnings and insights from Element AI to establish technical feasibility and identify AI use cases.

22) Answer: B

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP).

The two day Conference is being organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and the Parliament of Austria  with the support of the United Nations (UN).

This is the first time that an international Parliamentary Conference of such a magnitude is being organised in Virtual mode.

Members of Parliament Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Meenakashi Lekhi, both will also be attending the Conference.

The theme of the Conference is Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet.

23) Answer: E

The Cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct Common Eligibility Test. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar termed it as a historic decision which will benefit job seeking youth of the country. He said, this fulfills the long standing demand of the youth of the country.

The National Recruitment Agency will conduct a Common Eligibility Test to screen and shortlist candidates for the Group B and C (non-technical) posts. The NRA will have representatives from the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Finance, SSC, RRB and IBPS. Special focus on creating examination infrastructure in the 117 Aspirational Districts would go a long way in affording access to candidates at a place nearer to where they reside. The CET score of the candidate shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of declaration of the result. The best of the valid scores shall be deemed to be the current score of the candidate. There shall be no restriction on the number of attempts to be taken by a candidate to appear in the CET subject to the upper age limit. Relaxation in the upper age limit shall be given to candidates of SC/ST/OBC and other categories as per the extant policy of the Government.

24) Answer: C

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates announced that it has connected its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national grid in a new first for the Arab world.

The milestone follows the successful start-up of the plant’s first reactor at the end of last month and launches the UAE on the road to meeting 25% of its electricity needs from nuclear power.

The UAE has substantial oil and gas reserves, but with a power-hungry population of 10 million it has made huge investments in developing clean alternatives, including solar energy.

Barakah, which means “blessing” in Arabic, is a regional first.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has said it plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors, but the project has yet to materialise.

Barakah was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion.

More than 950 kilometres (nearly 600 miles) of 400 kV overhead power lines had to be built to link the plant to the grid.

Barakah’s other three reactors are said to be almost ready for operation.

Construction work has already been completed on Unit 2, and Units 3 and 4 are respectively 93% and 86% complete.

25) Answer: D

In Madhya Pradesh, all poor people of the state, who have not received ration from the Public Distribution System so far, will now get one rupee per kg wheat, rice and salt from September 1.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave this information while interacting with the new beneficiaries of the public distribution system through video conferencing.

37 lakh beneficiaries of the state will be benefited by this decision of the government. Apart from this, 5 kg per person free ration will also be provided to poor families by November.

The Chief Minister has instructed all the collectors to ensure that all new beneficiaries in their districts are issued eligibility slips and their Aadhaar seeding will be completed by August 31, so that they can get ration from September 1.

26) Answer: B

The  World Bank said it was likely to project a steeper contraction in India’s economy than the 3.2 percent it had forecast for the current financial year, given the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the resultant regional lockdowns.

It cautioned India against using its tariff policy to attract firms seeking a shift away from China.

In its report on India Development Update, 2020, it also warned that credit risks could play out as firms and households find it more difficult to service interest and repayment obligations. It called for full privatisation of some public sector banks and private capital injection in others.

Despite India making progress in poverty reduction in recent years, the deadly virus has made half of the population vulnerable to be pushed to poverty, the report said.

It  added, new information would have been incorporated, especially given the rising infections resulting in several state and district lockdowns. Further, the available high frequency indicators show that the economy is yet to revert to baseline.

Various agencies and economists have provided varying figures for India’s GDP contraction for FY21. While former chief statistician Pronab Sen has pegged it at 12.5 per cent, ICRA had forecast 9.5 per cent and India Ratings 5.3 per cent.

27) Answer: E

Shri. Kishor Rungta, C&MD, The Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) has assumed charge as Chairman of Fertilisers Association of India, Southern Region (FAI SR).

The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) is an elite body that represents the fertiliser manufacturers, distributors, importers, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and suppliers of inputs.

The ‘FAI SR’ covers stakeholders from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana.

FAI aims to bring together all concerned with the production, marketing and use of fertilisers.

The Regional Office focuses primarily on issues and has a continuous liaison with the fertiliser manufacturers operating in the region, the state governments and other local authorities.”

28) Answer: C

Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group announced the launch of its new service called ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans’ (SIPL) on WhatsApp.

The company will now allow its existing customers to instantly apply and receive sanctions for personal loans using Tata Capital’s chatbot TIA on WhatsApp.

The chatbot was recently launched on WhatsApp as a service platform to facilitate customer requests including queries on EMI details or updating customer records.

Customers can apply for Swift Insta Personal Loans through the company’s WhatsApp number for TIA.

They can then select ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans ‘ from the Menu and verify themselves through a One- time Password (OTP).

Post verification, they can choose the loan amount and await approval.‘(Provisional) Sanction for loan applied will be received instantly,’ Tata Capital said.

Post completion of the steps, details of the sanctioned SIPL amount will then be emailed to the customer’s registered email address.

29) Answer: B

All India Football Federation (AIFF) has signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Professional Scouting Organisation (IPSO) to deliver a number of courses and webinars with regards to scouting in India.

As per the agreement, information required for scouting and analysis will be provided to the attendees and arrangements of high-quality courses and webinars will be made.

AIFF Head of Coach Education Savio Medeira believes that the scouting courses will eventually go on to help Indian football in the long run. “When it comes down to the technicalities, scouting is different from coaching. I myself have played football and coached for a long time, but there were no scouting courses previously in India. In fact, I was quite taken aback when I attended one of these scouting courses,” Medeira said in a statement.

IPSO Director Colin Chambers who has already conducted two scouting courses in India (in December 2019 and March 2020), believes that the course will help the attendees to get a better understanding of the foundations of talent identification.

30) Answer: C

At least 41 lakh youth in the country lost jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic while construction and farm sector workers account for the majority of job losses, according to a joint report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), released.

According to the report, employment prospects for youth in Asia and the Pacific are severely challenged due to the pandemic. Youth (15-24 years) will be hit harder than adults (25 and older) in the immediate crisis and risk-bearing higher longer-term economic and social costs, the report added.

It further noted that in India, two-thirds of firm-level apprenticeships and three quarters of internships were completely interrupted during the pandemic. The report calls on governments to adopt urgent and targeted measures to generate jobs for the youth, keeping education and training on track, and to minimise future scarring of more than 660 million young people.

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, youth in Asia and the Pacific faced challenges in the labour market. In 2019, the regional youth unemployment rate was 13.8 per cent, compared to three per cent for adults; and more than 160 million youth (24 percent of the population) were not in employment, or education.

31) Answer: E

A Memorandum of Understanding, MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in the year 2021-22 was signed between Jute Corporation of India and National Seeds Corporation.

Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani and Agriculture Minister  Narendra Singh Tomar witnessed the MoU signing ceremony through virtual mode. Speaking on the occasion, Smriti Irani said, there is a special provision for jute and jute textile products in the National Technical Textiles Mission which was announced in February this year.

She said there is immense potential for increasing the use of jute in lining of water bodies, road building and construction of structures to contain landslides in hilly areas.

As an outcome of the MoU, Jute Corporation of India will distribute 10 thousand Quintals of certified jute seeds of JRO-204 variety in the 2021-22 crop year.

Certified seeds from National Seeds Corporation will be purchased by Jute Corporation of India for this first ever commercial distribution operation.

32) Answer: B

Environment Information System (ENVIS) of the Department of Environment of Chandigarh Administration has launched a new website. The URL of the website is http://chandigarhenvis.gov.in .

An official spokesperson said that the website has been designed as per Guidelines issued by Central Government.

Newly launched website has a fresh appearance & engaging features, and is developed on latest technologies. The website is accessible to all, especially to Divyangjan, under accessible India campaign.

The spokesperson said that the website has the latest information about Environmental Notifications, Publications, Newsletters, Laws & Rules, Environment Education & Awareness and Activities Conducted by the Department. Additionally, the website is also linked with various services such as Parivesh Environment Clearance, Sameer, Solar Chandigarh.

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