Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 of 23rd July 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) National Refreshment Day is being celebrated on which date in 2020?
A) July 1
B) July 4
C) July 23
D) July 15
E) July 16
2) WADA has extended the Suspension of India’s Dope Testing Laboratory by how many months citing non-confirmation to international standards?
A) 12
B) 10
C) 9
D) 5
E) 6
3) Anti-apartheid struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni who passed away recently belonged to which country?
A) Kenya
B) Rwanda
C) South Africa
D) Nigeria
E) Ethiopia
4) Which state government has launched the e-Sachivalaya portal for online appointments?
A) Madhya Pradesh
B) Punjab
C) Chattisgarh
D) Uttar Pradesh
E) Haryana
5) The government of which state has signed an MoU with IIT Ropar for skill development?
A) Jharkhand
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Punjab
E) Haryana
6) Which company has partnered with UTI Infrastructure Technology And Services Limited for PAN Card Services?
A) Angel Broking
B) Alankit Ltd
C) Bajaj Finance
D) Zerodha
E) Bonanza Portfolio
7) Which bank has partnered with the NSDC to train rural youth for financial services jobs?
A) Bandhan Bank
B) Axis Bank
C) ICICI
D) SBI
E) Airtel Payments Bank
8) Who among the following has been named as the new CEO & Director of Microfinance Institutions Network?
A) Vasu Vashisht
B) Ravi Gupta
C) Alok Mishra
D) Rajesh Singh
E) Anant Kumar
9) Who has been appointed as the MD & CEO of SBI General Insurance?
A) Praveen Singh
B) Anant Kumar
C) Sukesh Raj
D) Prakash Chandra Kandpal
E) Rajesh Verma
10) Who among the following has won the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity?
A) Ayakha Melithafa
B) Greta Thunberg
C) Malala Yosufzai
D) Malena Ennman
E) Naomi Seibt
11) Which of the following companies has launched India’s First Numberless Card?
A) Manpower services
B) Amazon
C) Janitri
D) Smallcase
E) FamPay
12) Which company has launched the GoMore scheme to book an adjacent seat for social distancing?
A) Air India
B) Indigo
C) GoAir
D) SpiceJet
E) JetAir
13) Name the anti-tank guided Nag missile recently test-fired by the DRDO.
A) Akashastra
B) Dhruvastra
C) Sarpastra
D) Nagastra
E) Trishulastra
14) The government of which state/ Ut has approved the ‘Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana’ for the doorstep delivery of ration?
A) Himachal Pradesh
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Uttar Pradesh
D) Delhi
E) Chandigarh
15) Who among the following has launched the Vriksharopan Abhiyan in New Delhi?
A) Prahlad Patel
B) Anurag Thakur
C) Narendra Modi
D) Amit Shah
E) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
16) A committee set up by the RBI has recommended multiple interoperable QR codes. Currently, there are _______ types of QR codes operating in the country.
A) 6
B) 5
C) 3
D) 2
E) 4
17) Who among the following has been nominated by the International Union of Railways as the Vice-chairman of its security platform?
A) Anand Gupta
B) Ramesh Chand
C) Rajeev Singh
D) Pravin Srivastava
E) Arun Kumar
18) The CCI has approved the Krishnapatnam port acquisition by which company?
A) Cochin Shipyard
B) Indian ports association
C) Gujarat Pipavav
D) Adani Ports
E) Dredging Corporation
19) Who has been appointed as the CEO of Airtel’s Enterprise Business?
A) Rajat Singh
B) Ganesh Lakshminarayanan
C) Anant Kumar
D) Subash Kapoor
E) Vasu Vashisht
20) Who among the following has won the ISG digital recognition for the second year?
A) Wipro
B) TCS
C) Honeywell
D) UST Global
E) Cognizant
21) As per UNICEF, __________ million children in South Asia have missed out on early education due to Covid-19.
A) 17
B) 19
C) 22
D) 15
E) 18
22) The First indigenous nuclear reactor has attained criticality at Kakrapar. It is located in which state?
A) Assam
B) Gujarat
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Haryana
E) Tamil Nadu
23) Which of the following institutions has launched UPI Autopay?
A) OlaPe
B) AxisPay
C) PhonePe
D) NPCI
E) Paytm
24) PhonePe has teamed up with which insurance company to offer Hospital Cash cover?
A) Nippon
B) Tata AIG
C) ICICI Lombard
D) Apollo Munich
E) Religare
25) Which country has successfully held its flight test of a 3D-printed aircraft engine?
A) South Korea
B) France
C) Germany
D) China
E) Russia
26) According to Nomura, India’s GDP is all set to contract by _______ per cent in FY21.
A) 6.5
B) 4.7
C) 4.5
D) 6.1
E) 5.6
27) India has revived the initiative with the Customs Union for Preferential Trade Agreement with which country?
A) France
B) US
C) South Africa
D) Japan
E) Germany
28) India has been ranked among the 10 worst countries for working people as per the ITUC. The Index ranks how many countries?
A) 130
B) 144
C) 150
D) 155
E) 160
29) Which country has recently received the observer status in the World Trade Organization?
A) Lebanon
B) Oman
C) Qatar
D) Kazakhstan
E) Turkmenistan
30) The Central government will release over ________ crore rupees as the first instalment under Flood Management Programme to Assam.
A) 150
B) 200
C) 250
D) 300
E) 350
31) Which of the following actors has launched the Pravasi Rojgar app to help migrants find job opportunities?
A) Anupam Kher
B) Amir Khan
C) Sonu Sood
D) Dia Mirza
E) Kareena Kapoor Khan
Answers :
1) Answer: C
National Refreshment Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of July every year. This year the day falls on 23rd July 2020.
This day is celebrated to remind us to refresh oneself from the busy and hectic routine. Taking regular intervals from the regular schedule will detoxify the stress. Everyone’s actions and behaviour vary from others, so the refreshment approach also varies.
2) Answer: E
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has extended the suspension of the country’s National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) by another six months citing non-confirmation to international standards.
The WADA first suspended NDTL in August last year for a period of six months.
The suspension prohibits the NDTL from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples.
The WADA conducted a second inspection of NDTL in February. But corrective measures weren’t found to be good enough to revoke the suspension, which is now extended till January 2021.
3) Answer: C
Struggle stalwart and the last surviving Rivonia Trialist Andrew Mlangeni has passed away. He was 95. Mokoena, was a South African political activist and anti-apartheid campaigner who, along with Nelson Mandela and others, was imprisoned after the Rivonia Trial
After his release from prison 27 years later, Mlangeni served as a member of Parliament for the ANC from 1994 to 1999. He served in the National Assembly from 2009 until 2014, when he retired.
4) Answer: E
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched e-Sachivalaya portal, a digital platform to help people to take online appointments for virtual meetings with the chief minister, deputy CM, ministers and heads of various departments.
The portal was launched to provide citizen-centric services to the people in a transparent and seamless manner by making the maximum use of the information technology.
e-Sachivalaya any person seeking an appointment for meeting with ministers and officers at their offices in the Haryana Civil Secretariat do not have to appear physically, rather he can simply book the appointment online.
After taking the appointment, the person will be given a time slot for the virtual meeting within 24 hours.
Haryana Udhyam Memorandum portal was launched to facilitate MSMEs. Similarly, online education has been made available through the learning management system software.
Similarly, portals were launched for the convenience of farmers, shopkeepers, labourers, employees during the COVID-19 period.
5) Answer: D
The Punjab government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, in the area of skill development.
The MoU provides for the IIT’s technical education department to become an academic mentor for the state’s engineering colleges at Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Skill Institute at Chamkaur Sahib, five government polytechnics and 10 government ITIs.
The institute will also help the state in developing a model ITI and a model polytechnic.
6) Answer: B
Alankit Ltd, e-governance and digital solutions provider has collaborated with UTI Infrastructure Technology And Services Limited, a Government Financial Services Provider Company in a bid to offer PAN card services to the citizens digitally across India at all its facilitation centers.
Alankit Ltd will be able to offer hassle-free and seamless PAN Card services such as New PAN Card application, PAN Correction, Duplicate PAN, PAN card of NRIs, Lost PAN, e-PAN Cards etc. Alankit through its PAN India network, through its Business Associates, will offer these services, making it easy for the customers.
7) Answer: E
Airtel Payments Bank Ltd has collaborated with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to train and skill young people in rural areas on financial services, enabling them to find jobs and become entrepreneurs in the sector.
The partnership aims at designing and conducting targeted skill development programs for rural youth that will focus on adoption of tools to boost online banking and digital financial services at a time when the smartphone market is growing and usage of 4G has increased due to stay-at-home restrictions.
Airtel Payments Bank and NSDC will also encourage trainees to take up entrepreneurial roles such as distributors or resellers of financial services, which will lead to the creation of more jobs in their local geographies.
8) Answer: C
Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), has appointed Dr Alok Misra, currently Professor & Chairperson of Public Policy & Governance at MDI Gurgaon, as its new Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment will be effective from 1st August 2020. Dr Misra takes over from the present CEO, Harsh Shrivastava.
Dr. Alok Misra has around 28 years of professional experience in international development, rural finance, microfinance, inclusive finance and research at both policy and implementation level.
9) Answer: D
Non-life insurer SBI General Insurance announced the appointment of Prakash Chandra Kandpal as its new managing director and chief executive officer, effective July 20.
He has been with SBI General Insurance as the deputy CEO since June 2019.
The insurer’s former managing director and CEO, Pushan Mahapatra, has been appointed as director (strategic investments & digital initiatives). He will continue to be the whole time director of SBI General Insurance.
10) Answer: B
Young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was awarded the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.
The award carries a €1,000,000 prize and the entire amount would be donated by Thunberg to projects and organisations “fighting for a sustainable world”.
There were 136 nominees (79 organisations, 57 personalities) from 46 across the world for the award.
The Gulbenkian Prize “aims to recognize people, groups of people and/or organizations from all over the world whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for its novelty, innovation, and impact”.
Greta Thunberg already has two Nobel Peace Prize Nominations (2019 and 2020) to her name and was featured by Time magazine among the “100 most influential people in the world”. Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement also won Amnesty International’s ‘Ambassadors of Conscience’ award last year for their work on highlighting the need for immediate action to stop climate change.
11) Answer: E
FamPay, India’s first Neobank for teenagers, launched the country’s first numberless card – FamCard.
FamCard is just like a debit card that can be used by the teenagers in making payments independently, relieving parents of the trouble of giving them physical cash or their debit/credit card.
With FamPay and its numberless card, minors can make online (UPI & P2P) and offline payments without the need to open up a bank account. Every transaction made through the card is protected with device locks such as fingerprint, Face ID, pattern lock or PIN.
As FamCard has no numbers and all its details are saved on the FamPay app. There is no need to refer to the physical card to furnish the details during online transactions. The company assures in its communiqué that there’s no fear of card information getting disclosed in case it gets stolen or lost and the card can be paused, blocked and managed at fingertips on the app.
12) Answer: C
GoAir launched the GoMore scheme, which will allow passengers to book adjacent seats on the same PNR in order to maintain social distance amid the pandemic.
The airline also announced the launch of the ‘Online Doctor Consultation’ facility in association with MFine, an on-demand healthcare platform.
The Wadia Group-promoted GoAir is the third domestic carrier after Vistara and IndiGo to come out with such an offer, wherein the passenger will have to shell out additional cost for a safe air travel.
13) Answer: B
Defence Research and Development Organisation conducts flight trials of the anti-tank guided Nag Missile (HELINA), which has been named now as Dhruvastra. Trials were done without helicopters at Interim Test Range, Balasore, Odisha.
Dhruvastra is the helicopter version of ‘Nag Helina’ with several new features and meant to be fired from air to destroy enemy bunkers, armoured vehicles and main battle tanks.
It has been designed such that it can be launched from land and air-based platforms.
The missile in the helicopter-launched configuration has been designated as Helicopter-launched NAG (HELINA). Once the trials are over successfully, this can be fired from the indigenous `Dhruv’ Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), as well as Rudra (ALH WSI) attack helicopter. Both these helicopters are made in India by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
14) Answer: D
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that his government has approved ‘Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana’.
The scheme will help the beneficiaries avail doorstep delivery of ration.
The people who take ration from the government-owned ration shops can get the food items delivered to their residences.
15) Answer: D
Home Minister Amit Shah will launch Vriksharopan Abhiyan in New Delhi in the presence of Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi. During the launch event, Mr Shah will inaugurate and lay the Foundation stone of 6 Eco Parks and Tourism sites. The event will take place through Video Conferencing across more than 130 locations spread in 38 Districts of 10 coal and lignite bearing States.
Vriksharopan Abhiyan will be organized by the Ministry of Coal involving all Coal and Lignite PSUs during which large scale plantations would be carried out in mines, colonies, offices and other suitable areas of Coal and Lignite PSUs. Seedlings will be distributed in the nearby areas for promoting plantation by the society.
The eco-parks and tourism sites would provide avenues for recreation, adventure, water sport, bird watching etc. for the people residing in nearby areas and may also be integrated to form part of the tourism circuit. These sites are being planned to generate revenue for self-sustenance and to create employment potential for local people.
Going Green is the key thrust area of the coal sector involving maximization of green cover through ecological reclamation of mined out areas and overburden dumps, plantation in and around mines and avenue plantation at suitable places.
16) Answer: C
A committee set up by the Reserve Bank of India to review the Quick Response (QR) Code has recommended that payment system providers should make these codes interoperable.
According to the recommendations of the committee, there should be multiple interoperable QR codes to drive the acceptance infrastructure. The committee stated that there should be multiple QR codes like Bharat QR Code and UPI QR to enable faster on-boarding of all types of merchants for digital payments.
Currently, there are three types of QR codes operating in the country. Bharat QR, Unified Payments Interface QR and proprietary QR codes.
A potential example of an interoperable QR system could be Bharat Bill Payments System (BBPS) currently caters to all utility billers like electricity, telecom, gas, water and DTH, wherein the billers are offered a standardized platform for third party bill payments. “A separate interoperable BBPS QR will augur well for billers to ensure faster onboarding using existing systems established with BBPS. It will offer an additional payment channel for the biller as well as the customer,” the report stated.
The committee therefore recommended phasing out of closed loop QR codes as it requires customers to manage separate apps. “While closed loop systems make the customer experience more convenient, they also require customers to acquire and manage a payment app,” it said.
17) Answer: E
International Union of Railways, UIC, Paris, has nominated Director General of Railway Protection Force, Arun Kumar, as Vice-Chairman of its security platform.
Mr Kumar will take over as chairman of the platform from July 2022 to July 2024. The decision was taken in the 96th General Assembly of the Union.
The Security Platform of the Union is empowered to develop and formulate analysis and policy positions for matters relating to security, property and installation in the rail sector.
The security platform also promotes the exchange of information and experience among the Union members and proposes common interest projects in rails. The COVID-19 Task Force set up by the security platform has proved to be very useful in exchange of ideas, precautions to be taken, restoration efforts and experience sharing during the current pandemic.
18) Answer: D
The Competition Commission of India has approved the acquisition of Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited. The proposed combination envisages acquisition of equity shareholding along with management control of Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited.
Adani Ports is a customer-facing integrated port infrastructure services provider currently present across ten domestic ports in six maritime states of Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
The Acquirer manages the logistics chain. The logistics chain includes vessel management to anchorage, pilotage, tug pulling, berthing, goods handling, internal transport, storage and handling, processing and final evacuation by road or rail.
19) Answer: B
Bharti Airtel (Airtel) stated it has appointed Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as Chief Executive Officer-Enterprise Business.
He takes over from Ashish Arora, who will be now CEO-Global Business and looks at expanding Airtel’s global networks, including submarine cable systems, to serve international and domestic customers, Airtel stated in a statement.
In his new role, Lakshminarayanan will be responsible for further strengthening Airtel’s market leadership in the B2B segment and accelerate growth as enterprises undergo digital transformation to become future ready, it stated, adding that he will report to Ajay Chitkara, Director-Airtel Business.
20) Answer: D
Digital transformation solutions company UST Global has been recognised by the Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, for its role as one of the top 25 examples of digital transformation in 2020 as featured in the ISG digital case study book, Scaling Digital: 25 Stories of Innovation.
ISG Research worked with leading technology companies around the globe, both large and small, to build this unique compendium of compelling case studies that demonstrate real-life business issues illustrating how organisations are currently accelerating the use of digital technologies. It is the second consecutive year that the ISG has recognised UST Global for digital excellence.
The ISG cited UST Global’s engagement with a leading Spanish multinational commercial bank and financial services company to transform the international payments experience for its customers by deploying blockchain-based solutions. The company helped the bank to realise its vision into a successful service offering.
21) Answer: C
Prolonged school closure and limited access to distant learning have dealt a big blow
As many as 22 million children from South Asian countries, including India, have missed out on early childhood education in their critical pre-school year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, reveals new research by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
It zeroed in on the predicament of childcare and early childhood education globally. It analysed the impact of widespread Covid-19 closure of vital family services.
In the South Asia region, UNICEF covered Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for the research.
Raising concerns over the disruption of early education, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Jean Gough, stated: “Children are among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in South Asia. Prolonged school closure and limited access to distant learning have deprived children of their universal right to education.”
The research further noted that lockdown has been a setback for innumerable families as they try to balance childcare and paid employment. This gets tougher for women, on average, as they spend more than three times longer on care and housework than men.
22) Answer: B
It is the first among 16 such reactors that are in the pipeline
After much delay, India’s first 700 MWe nuclear power reactor — commissioned at Kakrapar in Gujarat — attained criticality, a statement from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) stated.
The unit-3 of Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3 – 700 MW) achieved its first criticality (controlled sustained nuclear fission reaction) today, July 22, at 09.36 hours,” the statement stated
The reactor is the first of its kind as this 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor was indigenously designed and built by Indian scientists and engineers. The components and equipment for the reactor were manufactured by Indian industry and constructed and erected by various Indian contractors.
KAPP-3 is the first among 16 such 700 MWe reactors that have been given the go-ahead by the government. NPCIL has stated that seven of them are expected to be completed and attain criticality progressively from next year.
23) Answer: D
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched UPI Autopay, a facility that would allow recurring payments at regular intervals.“With this new facility introduced under UPI 2.0, customers can now enable recurring e-mandate using any UPI application for recurring payments such as mobile bills, electricity bills, EMI payments, entertainment and OTT subscriptions, insurance, mutual funds and loan payments, paying for transit, metro payments among others of up to Rs.2,000,” NPCI stated in a release, adding that if the amount exceeds Rs.2,000, customers have to execute every mandate with UPI PIN.
The facility was launched at the Global Fintech Fest.
24) Answer: C
Digital payments platform PhonePe announced the launch of its Hospital Daily Cash benefit under Group Safeguard Insurance in partnership with private insurer ICICI Lombard.
It is a customised hospitalisation policy that allows PhonePe users to get an assured amount if they are hospitalised due to injury or illnesses including Covid-19, the company explained in an official release.
As part of this policy, a Discharge Certificate would be sufficient in most cases for processing claims without hospital bills.
The cover can be availed of in less than two minutes, the company stated. Customers can view their policy documents instantly on the app. PhonePe users aged 18-65 can get this policy without prior medical tests.
However, only hospitalisations for a minimum of 48 hours qualify for claims. All government and private hospitals come under the insurance cover. ICU-admitted patients will qualify for double the insurance cover.
Customers who already have mediclaim policies, employer health insurance, self-funded means of paying hospital bills would also be eligible for the claim payout benefit,” it stated.
25) Answer: E
Russia has for the first time conducted a successful flight test of a 3D-printed aircraft engine, and its production is scheduled for 2021-2022.
The press service of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry told Sputnik: Russia has for the first time conducted flight tests of the MGTD-20 gas turbine engine made by 3D-printing.
The flight tests were held at Kazanbash aviation center in Tatarstan.
In December 2019, the foundation reported successful bench tests of small-sized gas turbine aircraft engines made using 3D printing technology.
26) Answer: D
The Reserve Bank is likely to pause at the upcoming policy review in August and cut rates by 25 basis points each in the October and December reviews, Japanese brokerage Nomura stated
Economic activity continues to remain weak and will lead to a 6.1% contraction in India’s GDP in the current fiscal, a foreign brokerage stated.
The Reserve Bank is likely to pause at the upcoming policy review in August and cut rates by 25 basis points each in the October and December reviews, Japanese brokerage Nomura stated in a report.
All the analysts expect a contraction in the GDP due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted both supply and demand forces in the economy since March. Official data also suggests a surge in inflation, which will further drag down the GDP in real terms.
Nomura stated the June quarter will be the ‘nadir’ from a growth perspective and the economy will contract by 15.2% and the GDP will never come into the positive territory in the remaining part of this fiscal.
27) Answer: C
The discussions between India and the South African Customs Union (South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho) have been revived to achieve a Preferential Trade Agreement. The two sides had a virtual meeting last week to discuss the various aspects of PTA.
The Indian side of the dialogue was led by the Joint Secretary of Department of Commerce, Srikar Reddy while the South African Customs Union side was led by Executive Director of Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, Namibia, Steve Katjiuanjo.
India has been committed to and supporting the manufacturing and industry in Namibia in areas such as irrigation, agriculture, ICT, renewables, pharma, and medical supplies. Both sides reviewed the progress and discussed steps to move forward on PTA.
Srikar Reddy highlighted India’s historically close ties with South Africa and the country’s steadfast commitment to deepen the economic engagement with this region.
He added that in 2019-20, the trade between India and Africa stood at $66.7 billion, out of which India-SACU trade was $10.9 billion which has an immense potential to expand further.
Steve Katjiuanjo called India as a strategic partner for the South African Customs Union (SACU). He added that the trade is currently in SACU’s favour which shows that the region is benefitting from access to the vast Indian market.
28) Answer: B
India is among the 10 worst countries for working people, according to the seventh edition of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index that ranks 144 countries on the degree of respect for workers’ rights.
The others include Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Turkey and Zimbabwe.
The Middle East and North Africa is the worst region in the world for working people for seven years running due to the ongoing insecurity and conflict in Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Libya coupled with the most regressive region for workers’ representation and union rights.
The ITUC report concludes that 85 percent of countries violated the right to strike and 80 percent of countries violated the right to collectively bargain.
The number of countries that impeded the registration of unions has increased. Three new countries — India, Egypt and Honduras — have entered the list of ten worst countries for workers.
The number of countries that denied or constrained freedom of speech increased from 54 in 2019 to 56 in 2020. Workers were exposed to violence in 51 countries. Workers had no or restricted access to justice in 72 percent of countries.
29) Answer: E
Turkmenistan has been granted Observer status by the World Trade Organization (WTO ) General Council. Turkmenistan has become the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with the trade body, a WTO Spokesperson stated.
The Central Asian country filed a request for Observer status in May and expressed willingness to trigger the talks on accession to the WTO within five years.
Neighbouring Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan — have acceded to the WTO, while Uzbekistan has been in on-and-off negotiations on WTO accession since 1994.
30) Answer: D
In order to effectively manage the relief and rehabilitation works in flood-hit Assam, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat assured to release an amount of 346 crore rupees immediately from his Ministry to Assam as the first installment under Flood Management Programme (FMP). The Union Minister conveyed it to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during a video conference held last evening.
The Chief Minister had appealed to the Union Minister to allocate funds to the State Government to strengthen 5,000 kms of embankments built since 1951 in the state, which would now be turned into road cum embankments.
In response to the request made by the Chief Minister to take up the matter of flood waters from Bhutan inundating a large area in lower Assam every year, Mr. Shekhawat assured that the Centre would soon hold discussions with the Bhutan Government.
31) Answer: C
In Maharashtra, actor Sonu Sood has launched a free online platform called ‘Pravasi Rojgar’ to help migrants find job opportunities in various sectors across the country. Mr Sood, who catapulted to the national spotlight for his work in helping migrants reach their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, stated the app will provide all the necessary information and right linkages to find jobs.
The online platform has over 500 reputed companies related to construction, apparel, health care, engineering, BPOs, security, automobile, e-commerce and logistics sectors, offering job opportunities. The platform will also be offering specific job training programmes like spoken English.
