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 TITLE PAGE

NATIONAL NEWS 03

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 59

BANKING AND ECONOMY 76

APPOINTMENTS 107

IMPORTANT DAYS 112

AWARDS 115

SPORTS 123

MISCELLANEOUS 128

QUESTION BANK 131

ANSWERS 179

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 NATIONAL NEWS

1. Global Carbon Project has made some observations on India that India’s emissions in
2019 was expected to be only 1.8% higher than in 2018.
• Growth in India’s electricity generation has weakened from 6% per year to under
1% due to weak economy.
• Hydropower generation was high due to wet monsoon while coal generation
declined.
• As per the observations, economic slowdown is the reason for a lower emission
growth in India as well as in the rest of the world, and also in China, the world’s
largest emitter.

About Global Carbon Project (GCP):

• Established in: 2001
• Established by: International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the World Climate
Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global
Environmental Change and Diversitas
• Purpose: to reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• This partnership constituted the Earth Systems Science Partnership (ESSP) which
subsequently evolved into Future Earth (handler of GCP).
• GCP is a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme.
• The project focuses on to reducing 3 major greenhouse gases- CO2, methane, and
nitrous oxide.

2. A workshop-cum-exhibition on 'Bamboo - A wonder grass: Opportunity for Sustainable

Development in Jobs' will be organized in Jammu by the North Eastern Council (Cane
and Bamboo Technology Centre of Assam) and J&K UT administration.
• Purpose: to replicate the successful model being adopted in the North East to
market its products.

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3. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved to reduce central govt’s
shareholding in selected Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) where the govt
shareholding is below 51%.
• However, the management control will differ on a case to case basis.

4. Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has proposed to create 3 capital cities in
Andhra Pradesh for effective decentralization of governance in the state.
• Reddy proposed to create Visakhapatnam as the executive, Amaravati as the
legislative and Kurnool as the judicial capitals of the state.
Committees related to the news:

GN Rao Committee, formed in September 2019 to suggest

the model for Andhra Pradesh’s development, has submitted
its report in favour of creating 3 capitals in AP.

K.C. Sivaramakrishnan panel was formed in 2014 by the

Central govt to study the alternative capital for Andhra
Pradesh (after its bifurcation). The panel has also suggested
to create 3 capitals.

AP Govt has formed a High Power Committee, headed by

Buggana Rajendranath (State Finance Minister), to study the
GN Rao Committee report and Boston Consultancy Group’s
(BCG) report on the development of the State and the capital
city.

BGC has been hired by AP govt to suggest measures to

develop Andhra Pradesh. It has also submitted its
recommendations in favour of creating 3 capitals.

Extra Facts:
The 3 capital model has been taken from South Africa which has administrative capital in
Pretoria, national legislature in Cape Town and judicial capital in Bloemfontein.

5. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has also approved the amendments in the Toll
Operate Transfer (TOT) Model proposed by National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI).
• National Highway projects which are operational and have toll revenue generation
history of 1 year after the Commercial Operations Date (COD) shall be monetized
through the TOT Model.
• TOT model provides for a fixed 30-year concession period.
• The fund, generated from monetization of highways, will be used by the govt for
developing new highways.

6. Results of the Swachh Survekshan League 2020 (Quarter 1 and Quarter 2) has been
released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• 5th edition of the Swachh Survekshan 2020 (the annual urban cleanliness survey
conducted by MoHUA) was also launched.

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 • SS League 2020 is being conducted in 3 quarters, i.e. April- June, July – September
and October- December 2019 and has 2000 marks for each quarter.
• Ranks have been assigned in two categories, namely, cities with population of 1 lakh
and above (with two sub-categories, i.e. 1-10 lakh and 10 lakhs and above) and cities
with population of less than 1 lakh (under the < 1 lakh population category, the
rankings are given zone and population wise).
• SS League holds 25% weightage in the Swachh Survekshan 2020.
• Parameters: waste water management and faecal sludge management have been
given special attention among 12 indicators.
Results of the SS League 2020:
Category Top Cities
Top Ranker (Q1) – Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
Cities with population above 10 lakh
Top Ranker (Q2) – Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
Top Ranker (Q1) – Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)
Cities with population between 1-10 lakh
Top Ranker (Q2) – Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)

7. President of India, Ram Nath Kovind (on October 31st, 2019) had revoked the
President’s Rules – imposed under Article 356 – on the consolidated state of J&K as the
article is not applicable on UTs.
• Section 73 of J&K Reorganization Act, 2019 grants the powers to the President of
India to take over the administration of J&K UT in case of failure of the UT
administration.
• In exercise of the powers granted under Section 73, President has taken control of
J&K UT.
• Under Section 74, President has authorized expenditure to be carried out of the
Consolidated fund of UT of J&K.

8. Kerala has become the first state in India to pass a resolution for scrapping the
Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.
• Kerala’s CM: Pinarayee Vijayan
• While Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to start work under the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) 2019.

9. Central Government has established the new ‘Department of Military affairs’ (Sainya
Karya Vibhag) within the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
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 • It will be headed by CDS Bipin Rawat.
• It is the 5th department in the MoD (created by changing the Government of India
(Allocation of Business), Rules 1961).
• Dept of Defence will take capital acquisition decisions and not Dept of military
affairs.

10. Central Government has formed a 7-member group of ministers, headed by Rajnath
Singh, to review the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and suggest measures
to improve it.
• The committee has been formed to allay the apprehensions of farmers.
About PMFBY:
Þ Launched: 2016
Þ By: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare
Note: - The scheme is covered in ESI folder >> Government Schemes >> Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojana document.

11. Indian Air Force has commissioned the Flight Inspection System – Dornier 228 (light
utility aircraft) – in its ‘Otters’ squadron.
• In 2015, IAF has signed a deal with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for
purchasing 14 Dornier aircraft.

12. The committee (2017), headed by Manish Sisodia, has renamed Pragati Maidan metro
station in New Delhi as Supreme Court metro station.
• Following places in Delhi to be renamed as:
Places New Names
Mukarba Chowk and its flyover Shaheed Captain Vikram Batra Chowk (Kargil war
martyr)
MB Road Acharya Sri Mahapragya Marg

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 Lajpat Nagar flyover Jhulelal Setu
Shakti Nagar Chowk Bhagwan Mahavir Chowk

13. For the first time, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) will
organize the 14th Global Healthcare Summit in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
About AAPI:
AAPI is a professional association for Indian American physicians.
Headquarters – USA
President – Sudhakar Jonnalagadda (for 2020-21)

14. Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has launched ‘Damini’ which
is a calling and a WhatsApp helpline service to ensure the safety of the women
passengers in UP.
• The help-line number is “81142-77777”. It has been launched under the ‘Nirbhaya
Yojana’.

15. According to the data provided by Minister for Women and Child Development- Smriti
Irani in the Parliament, states have used only 30% of the Poshan Abhiyan funds in 3
years since 2017.
• Mizoram, Lakshdweep and Bihar are the best performing states in utilizing the
funds.
• Punjab, Karnataka and Kerala are the worst performing states in utilizing the Poshan
Abhiyan funds.
• During 2019-20, funds were released to 19 States.
• Poshan Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission) was launched in 2017 for 3-years and is
implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

16. World’s second tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (50 feet tall) has been built in
Sardardham campus near Vaishnodevi circle in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• The statue has been developed by Ram V. Sutar (who is also the designer of ‘Statue
of Unity’).

17. Lai Haroba - a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities - has been
organized in Agartala, Tripura by the state govt.

18. Wildlife Institute of India will use around 10,000 cameras to conduct the Asiatic Lion
Census in May 2020 in 7 districts in Gujarat.
• Asiatic lions (which is world’s last independent population) are only found in Gir
National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat.
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the Asiatic Lion
Conservation Project to conserve Asiatic Lion for 2018-2021.

19. Odisha has launched the first-of-its-kind “e-Gazette portal” to provide the Gazette
notifications in online mode for all departments.
• It is developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
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20. Cyber police of Maharashtra has launched the ‘Cyber Safe Women’ campaign on the
birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule (social reformer).
• Purpose: to protect women and children from cybercrime.
• Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831.

21. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has launched the “K-RERA” – Kerala Real Estate Regulatory
Authority – to bring transparency in real estate sector and boost customers’ confidence.

22. Telangana has signed 8 MoU with various companies and IIT-Kharagpur. IIT-Kharagpur
will open a centre of excellence in AI and research and Development Park.
• The state declared 2020 as year of Artificial Intelligence.
• Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System will
provide permissions to new businesses.

23. Delhi has installed the first ever 20-ft tall smog tower at Lajpat Nagar market to purify
the air. It can remove up to 80% of the particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10).
• A separate pilot project has been undertaken by the IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and
University of Minnesota to consider the efficiency of smog towers.

24. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has established its first Silk Processing
Plant in Surendra Nagar district of Gujarat.
• Purpose: to increase the production of Gujarat Patola sarees.

25. Ministry of External Affairs has set up the New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies
(NEST) division to handle new and emerging technologies.
• NEST helps to partner with 5G and artificial intelligence areas.

26. 107th Indian Science Congress 2020 was held at the University of Agricultural Sciences
in Bengaluru.
• Theme: “Science and Technology: Rural Development”.
• For the first time, farmers science congress will be held.
o During the farmer science congress, ARYA – Attracting and Retaining of
Youth in Agriculture – initiative of Indian Council of Agricultural Research to
attract youth towards agriculture and allied service sector.
• DRDO Science Expo, Yoga Science Meet, Children’s science congress, women
science congress, science communicators meet, 2020 and Mega Science Exhibition -
PRIDE OF INDIA ISC EXPO were also held here.
• During ISC, PM Modi launched the Indian Science Technology and Engineering
facilities Map (I-STEM) Portal to allow researchers to easily locate facilities needed
for their research.
• PM Modi also distributed the Krishi Karman to various farmers.

27. First of its kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles has been established in the
Bhagalpur forest division of Bihar.
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28. ISRO has established its 4th Regional Academic Centre for Space at the National
Institute of Technology, Karnataka.
• Other centres are in Jaipur, Guwahati and Kurukshetra.
• ISRO has also announced to establish its 2nd launch port in Thoothukudi district of
Tamil Nadu to launch small satellite vehicles.

29. Amit Shah has been appointed as the head of the Group of Ministers to examine the
proposed National Tariff Policy 2016.
Provisions of the National Tariff Policy 2016
Þ It proposes to penalize the discoms for power cuts (except cuts started due to
calamity or technical faults).
Þ It proposes to transfer the subsidy directly to the customers’ account.
Þ Cross subsidies on industries should not exceed 20%.
Þ Discoms should not exceed transmission, aggregate technical and commercial
losses beyond 15% in consumer tariffs.

30. ISRO announced to develop a Human Space Flight Infrastructure Centre (to be
operational in 3 years) at Challakere (also known as the ‘Science City’), Karnataka for Rs
2700 crore.
• Purpose: to train humans for the Gaganyaan mission.
• Currently, Russia is providing the training to the 4 Indian air force officers for this
mission at its Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.

31. Andhra Pradesh has launched the “YSR Aarogyasri scheme” to provide free medical
treatment to the poor people.
• Eligibility Criteria: Annual income below Rs 5 lakh and whose treatment cost is more
than Rs 1,000.
• Diseases Covered: 2,059
• Insurance: eligible patients will get pension of Rs 3,000 – Rs 10,000 based on the
disease.
• Post-surgery care: eligible patients will get a financial aid of Rs 225 per day up to a
maximum of Rs 5000 per month.

32. Chandigarh railway station has become the first railway station in Northern India to
launch the navigation facilities for visually impaired people.
• It is fifth railway station in India to launch this facility while Mysuru Railway Station
was India’s first station to do this.

33. Forest Survey of India (FSI) released a report which mentions that about 21.4% of
forests in India are prone to fire.
• The report is based on a study carried out along forest fire points identified across
the country from 2004 to 2017.

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 • Among the total forest areas, north eastern region and central India was more
prone to fire. Mizoram was the most prone state with the highest number of fire
alerts at 2,795.

34. ISRO has signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to set up an Optical
telescope under ‘Project NETRA’ – NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis –
for tracking space objects.
• India launched the early warning system Netra to secure its satellites and other
assets in space at a cost of Rs 400 crore in 2019.

35. Madhya Pradesh has launched the Mukhya Mantri Karmchari Swasthya Bima Yojana
for all 12.55 lakh employees of the state implemented w.e.f April 1, 2020.
• Rs 5 lakh will be given for general illness, 10 lakh for critical illness.

36. As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi
crops stands at 571.84 lakh hectares (increased by 35.9 lakh hectare) as compared to
536.35 lakh hectare for corresponding period last year.
• The area sown so far and that sown during last year this time is as follows: (Area in
lakh hectare)
Crops Area Sown in 2019-20 Area Sown in 2018-
19
Wheat 297.02 270.75
Rice 13.90 11.93
Pulses 140.13 136.83
Coarse cereals 46.66 42.12
Oilseeds 74.12 74.72
Total Crops 571.84 536.35

37. Andhra Pradesh has launched a project to deliver sand at customers’ door steps.
• Purpose: to resolve the issue of sand scarcity and sand mafia.
• Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) act, 1957 provides complete
legislation to mines and minerals.

38. World Book Fair has been organized in New Delhi by the National Book Trust.
• Theme: ‘Gandhi: The Writers’ Writer’

39. 3rd international symposium – Marine Ecosystems-Challenges and Opportunities

(MECOS) – will be held in Kochi, Kerala.
• Organizers: Marine Biological association of India.
• Purpose: To review concerns of marine ecosystem and will form new strategies for
sustainable utilisation of marine wealth.
• It focuses on the SDG-14 – “Conserve and Sustainably use the oceans and its
resources for sustainable development”.

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40. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released the first of its kind report on sugar
intake of India.
• A joint survey was conducted by ICMR, National Institute of Nutrition – Hyderabad
and International Life Science Institute of India for this report.
• Sugar intake in metro cities was 19.5 grams per day lower than the level
recommended by ICMR of 30 gram per day.
• Mumbai had the highest amount of sugar intake at 26.3 g/day followed by
Ahmedabad at 25.9 g/day.
• Women had high sugar intake of 20.2 g/day than men at 18.7 g/day.

41. Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National
Programme (SLNP) have completed 5 years.
• Implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).
• EESL is a joint venture of PSU operating under Ministry of Power.
• The projects were launched in 2015.

42. Mizoram Govt is organising the Zo Kutpui festival across 10 states in India and also in
Myanmar, USA and Bangladesh.
• Purpose: to integrate the Mizo population in India and worldwide.
• Mizo tribe is found in Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram and USA, Myanmar &
Bangladesh.

43. 5th Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference – world’s largest platform for meeting
of researchers of Drosophila flies – has been organized by the Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research held in Pune, Maharashtra.
• It is the first time, the conference is held in India.
• Drosophila is the small fruit fly.

44. India and Oman are conducting their bilateral naval exercise – “Naseem-Al-Bahr” – at
Mormugao Port in Goa.

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 • RNOV Al Rasikh and RNOV Khassab of Oman and INS Beas and INS Subhadra from
Indian are participating in this exercise.

45. By the end of 2020, ISRO will launch Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS), in low-
earth orbits on a GSLV launcher, to set up a communication system between the space
satellites of India.
• Advantages: The new system will help India to cover the entire Gaganyaan mission
as well as other space missions.
• First two satellites of IDRSS will be launched in 2020 and the second satellite will be
launched in 2021.

46. Indian Meteorological Department has released its report on climate change and its
impact.
Key findings:
• 2019 was the 7th warmest year since 1901, but the heating was substantially lower
than the highest warming observed in 2016 (0.7º C).
• 1,562 people died due to extreme weather events in 2019.
• Bihar witnessed the highest number of deaths (650) in 2019 due to climate change
followed by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh etc.
• India’s average temperature was 0.36 degree Celsius during 2019.

47. Indian Navy launched 1st tri-dimensional expedition ‘Maha-Navy Connect 2020’ in
Mumbai to promote the heritage of Indian Navy.
• Purpose: to spread awareness about importance of Coastal Security among the
coastal communities in Maharashtra.

48. Kolkata police has started the 3rd edition of ‘Sukanya’ project to provide self-defence
training to school and college going girls in Kolkata.
• Sukanya is an initiative of Kolkata police to make girls self-dependent.

49. 4th Buxa Bird Festival 2020 has been organized in the Buxa National Park in West
Bengal.
• The Buxa National Park has more than 300 rare species of birds.

50. Indian Army has started integrating its workshops (which test weapons and produce
spares for the Army) with the Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) Model.
• GOCO model in army workshops will reduce government expenditure on armed
forces.

51. Uttar Pradesh has rolled out a Rs 3000 crore project for providing piped water to the
households of 9 districts of Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions (facing the most severe
water scarcity) in 2020.
• As per India’s strategic plan for 2011-2022, 90% of the rural population in India has
to be benefited with the pipe water supply.

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 • Till date, about 10% rural population of UP is covered with pipe water supply
schemes.

52. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is developing a digital

repository named as the National Integrated Information Portal (NIIP) for all official
statistics of the government in India.
• Data from the following websites is likely to be part of the portal.
Health Education Industry Labour -

ANMOL HRD ministry’s corporate affairs labour and employment Government

(National Health Unified District ministry’s ministry’s Unified Shram e-
Mission) Information System Corporate Data Suvidha Portal and Marketplace
for Education Management National Career Service,
(UDISE) ICEGATE

53. India is helping Afghanistan to set up Aadhaar in the Islamic country.

• Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India and Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) organized a training program for Afghanistan Central Civil
Registration Authority (ACCRA).

54. FSSAI has partnered with Amazon Alexa to launch Eat Rights quiz on the Alexa to
promote good eating habits among youth.

55. Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) has suggested a five pronged strategy to the
government to boost export of agricultural goods.
• According to TPCI, India has the potential to increase the agri-exports to $100 billion
in the coming years.
• Suggestions: TPCI proposed 100% pre-export certification, increasing customer base,
branding, strengthening last mile connectivity for agri produce, and revamping
Special Economic Zones policy for food exports.
• IndusFood 2020 - global food show – will be organized by TPCI to promote India as a
global sourcing hub for the food sector in Greater Noida.

56. Union Cabinet has approved the following MoU or agreements signed by India with the
following countries:
Country Purpose Details
UK for facilitating energy self- -
sufficiency for Indian railways
Sweden on Cooperation of Polar Science to MoU was signed between the Ministry of
study the Arctic and Antarctic Education and Research of Sweden and the
regions Ministry of Earth Sciences of India

14

France for partnership on migration and
mobility
Mongolia For mutual Cooperation in
Exploration and Uses of Outer
Space for Peaceful Purposes.
o In the Arctic Council, Sweden is a member
and India is an Observer country.
o India and Sweden are members of the
Antarctic Treaty and Protocol On
Environment Protection To The Antarctic
Treaty.
o MoU was signed in 2018 and it is valid for 7
years.
o After 7 years, the agreement will renew
automatically.
It was signed in September 2019. [details of the
MoU and other agreements signed between
India and Mongolia has been provided in Sept
spotlight].

57. CCEA approved the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between the
Department of Health and Family Welfare and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for
cooperation in the field of health.
• The MoC was signed in November 2019.

58. 31st edition of the International Kite festival has been inaugurated at 9 places in
Gujarat.
• Gujarat CM: Vijay Rupani.

59. Gujarat has announced to set up the Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center
(VSCIC) at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Extension Research and Innovation in Gujarat
University.
• Purpose: to identify, nurture and promote innovation of children up to 18 years.
• The VSCIC is a joint partnership between the Gujarat University and UNICEF.
• The university has also observed its first Children Innovation Festival.

60. Election Commissions of India and Mauritius have renewed their MoU for cooperation
in the field of electoral management.
• Earlier, the MoU was valid from 2013-18.

61. As per the state-wise fact sheets released by the National Health Systems Resource
Centre (NHSRC), Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the highest number of IPD
(Inpatient Department) care cases in India.
• Overall, all women in J&K availed the Antennal Care Services (ANC).
• Public Health Services (PHS) provides 96% of IPD care in rural areas of J&K which is
highest against the country’s average of 85%.
• J&K has become the first state in highest life expectancy in India for all ages,
surpassing Kerala in 2016.

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62. ‘MILAN’ - International naval exercise - will be hosted by the Eastern Naval Command in
Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in March 2020.
• Theme: ‘Synergy Across the Seas’.

63. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed a cost-effective and
efficient scientific method to cultivate Indian Pompano fish in ponds. Pompanos are
marine fishes.
• Officially, Pompanos will be cultivated in ponds of Vishakhapatnam.
• Indian pompano could be considered as an alternative to shrimp.

64. Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat will be organized by the Indian Council for Cultural
Relation along with other departments at Madhavpur Ghed in Porbandar district,
Gujarat.
• Purpose: The festival celebrates the immortal journey of Lord Krishna and Rukmini
from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat.
• 8 North-Eastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura – will participate in this festival.

65. In order to speed up the work under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) has issued revised guidelines.
• Till now, India had signed MLAT with 42 countries for cooperation in criminal
matters and MHA is the ‘Central Authority of India’ for this treaty.
• The guidelines details about the step-by-step guidelines for documentation and
other processes.

66. Crime in India 2018 report has been released by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB).
Key Findings:
• Overall crimes – 50.74 lakh which is 1.3% more than 2017.
o However, the crime rate per lakh population has declined to 383.5 in 2018
against 388.6 in 2017.
• Economic Offences: In India, over 1.56 lakh cases were recorded in 2018.
o Top State in economic offences: Uttar Pradesh with 22,822 cases (14.6% of
total economic offences) followed by Rajasthan (previous year’s topper).
• On an average of 80 murders, 289 kidnappings and 91 rapes were reported every on
a single day in 2018 in India.
• West Bengal recorded the highest number of crimes committed by foreigners at
744.
• Crime Against women in 2018 – Uttar Pradesh
witnessed highest number of crime against women
16
 whereas Madhya Pradesh witnessed highest number of rapes (15 in a day). Among
cities, Delhi is at the top in crime against women.
Rate of Crimes in India:
Indian Penal Code (% of total crimes) 61.7% (increased by 2.3%)
Special and Local Laws (% of total crimes) 38.3% (declined by 0.1%)
Crime rate per lakh women population 58.8
(57.9 in 2017)
Crime rate per lakh children population 31.8
(28.9 in 2017)
Note: - As per NCRB, data of West Bengal, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Kolkata is
provisional as of now.

67. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier - Vikrant will be commissioned by early 2021.
• It is being built by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
• Vikrant will be equipped with Mikoyan MiG-29k aircraft.
• Till date, India has only 1 aircraft carrier i.e., INS Vikramaditya (commissioned in
2013).

68. Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has published the list of world’s fastest-growing
(urban) cities based on the data of United Nations Population Division (UNPD) and
covered time period of 2015-20.
• 3 out of top 10 cities are in Kerala (Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam).
• Other Indian Cities – Thrissur (Kerala) is ranked at 13th spot, Surat (Gujarat) is
ranked at 26th spot and Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) is ranked at 30th spot.

17
Note: - In the first picture, growth rate of the cities is also mentioned.
Extra Fact:
Þ In 2018, World Economic Forum has also published the list of world’s top 10 fastest
growing cities:

69. Supreme Court has declared that Right of access to internet is a fundamental right
under Article 19 and asked J&K UT to review the curbs on internet in a week.
• As per the bench, freedom of speech and expression and freedom to practice any
business or trade over internet is constitutionally protected under Article 19 (1)(a).

70. 5th Pulses Conclave 2020 (a biennial conference) will be hosted by the India Pulses and
Grain Association in Lonavala, Maharashtra in February.
India is the largest producer (around 25% of global production) of pulses in the world.
India is also the largest consumer (27% of world pulses) of pulses.
India is also the largest importer of pulses (14% of pulses in the world).

71. Konkan Railways is constructing the world’s highest railway bridge (at a height of 359
metres above the Chenab rivers’ bed) in Kashmir to link the UT with rest of the India.
• The bridge (expected to be completed by 2021) is a part of Udhampur- Srinagar-
Baramulla rail link project.

18
 • The bridge forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal.
Extra Fact:
Currently, China’s Shuibai railway bridge (on Beipan river) at 275 m is the world’s highest
railway bridge.

72. In Feb 2019, Cabinet had approved Phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop and Small Solar
Power Plants Programme to increase the cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from
Rooftop Solar Projects by 2022.
• In 2015, this program was launched to install 4,200 MW rooftop solar power plants
in India by year 2019-20.
• Implementation Agencies of this program – State Nodal Agencies, Solar Energy
Corporation of India, Public Sector Undertakings and other Government Agencies
(GAs).

73. Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched the first of its kind Jagananna
Amma Vodi Scheme (to be implemented from January 26, 2020).
• Under the scheme, Rs 15,000 will be given to low income families (especially
mothers) to send their children to schools. (the scheme was announced in
November 2019)

74. 4 airports have been chosen by the Airports Authority of India for international
recognition for reducing the carbon emission levels as per the standards of Airports
Council International (ACI).
• 4 airports – Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (West Bengal), Biju
Patnaik International Airport (Odisha), Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
(Varanasi), Trivandrum International Airport (Kerala).
• Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program aims to reduce the carbon emission at
airports through its Carbon Management Plan.

75. South Central Railway’s “first solar section” has been unveiled at the Nandyal-
Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division of Andhra Pradesh.
• Targets: Indian Railways aims to source about 1000 MW Solar Power and about 200
MW of wind power across Zonal Railways and Production Units.
• Out of this, 500 MW solar plants will be installed on rooftop of Railway buildings.

76. NITI Aayog and International Energy Agency have released the first review of India’s
energy policies 2020.
• India had become an IEA-association country in 2017.
Findings of the report:
Þ 23% of the total installed capacity of India is in renewables.
o India has the largest unified power grid operating in a single frequency.

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Þ India has reduced 15% of additional energy demand, oil and gas imports, and air pollution as
well as 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2000 and 2018.

Þ India’s energy demand is likely to double by 2040 and electricity demand may triple.
o Share of variable renewables in India is above 15%.

Þ India will overtake China in terms of crude oil demand growth by mid-2020 which will rise
4.4 million barrels per day (in 2017) to 6 million barrels per day in 2024.
o India imports over 80% of its oil needs, of which 65% is from the Middle East through the
Strait of Hormuz.
• Extra Facts: India will achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol and 5% biodiesel in
diesel by 2030 and will increase the use of Natural from 6.2% to 15% by 2030.
• Currently, India is the world’s 3rd largest energy consumer after US and China.

77. Forest Advisory Committee (under Ministry of Environment) has approved Green Credit
Scheme to facilitate trading of forests just like a commodity.
Features of the scheme:
• Private companies, village forest communities etc agencies will identify lands and
grow plantations.
• These identified lands would be considered as compensatory forest land after 3
years.
• An industry that needs forest land can then pay for these patches of forest land, and
this would then be transferred to the Forest Department.
• The scheme allows the forest department to outsource its responsibilities of
reforesting to non-government agencies.

78. 2nd edition of the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 for 36 states and UTs, based
on 97 indicators, has been released to rank states/UTs on the progress of energy
efficiency initiatives.
• Best Performers: Karnataka, Haryana and Puducherry in Achievers category. (no
state is in Frontrunner category)
• Least Performers: Manipur, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir
performed worst in Aspirants category.
• The states have been divided into 4 categories: Frontrunner, Achiever, Contender,
Aspirant.
• Developers of this index: Bureau of Energy Efficiency in association with Alliance for
an Energy Efficient Economy.
About the Index:
Þ State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index was first launched in 2018.
Þ The states/UTs were assessed on 97 indicators based in 5 distinct sectors namely
buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture and DISCOMs.
Þ In 2019 new indicators were included in this index which are Energy Conservation
Building Code (ECBC) 2017, energy efficiency in MSME clusters, etc.

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79. Arunachal Pradesh has adopted a new logo (featuring National Emblem and the flower
foxtail of orchid) for the state to reflect the distinct identity and culture of the state.

80. An international exhibition and conference on civil aviation sector – Wings India 2020 –
will be organized at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Telangana in March 2020.
• Organizers: Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI.
• First edition of the Wings India Awards for Excellence in the Civil Aviation Sector will
be announced during the event. Deloitte is the 'Knowledge Partner' for the Awards.

81. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre
(I4C) have been inaugurated in New Delhi to curb cybercrime.
Note: - Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is covered in detail in July Spotlight
(national news >> news no. 217)

82. Global Investors Meet named as ASCEND 2020 has been organized in Kochi, Kerala.
• During the meet, Wage subsidy scheme was disclosed for new ventures (which
provides social security benefits to employees) getting registered on April 1, 2020 for
the first 5 years.
• A total of 18 mega projects were announced by Kerala govt. Besides, projects worth
Rs 1 lakh crore were received during this meet.
• Kerala infrastructure Fund Management Ltd (KIFML) and Abu Dhabi investment
Authority (ADIA) have signed one project and designated Rs 8110 crore for 6
projects.
• ADIA has proposed to invest Rs 66,900 crore for logistics park and other projects.

83. For the first time, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has been landed on INS Vikramaditya
through arrested landing.
• The landing was conducted by Commodore Jaideep Maolankar.
• Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), in partnership with DRDO, has developed
the Tejas.

84. Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) has announced to import water-soluble
fertilizers from China in addition to the 300 tonnes that the agency has so far imported.
• “AGRO” is the brand name of these new fertilizers.

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85. India will erect non-cut steel fence across Pakistan and Bangladesh borders in the
sensitive areas.
• Government is also planning to implement LASER fences across these two borders
and the progress work of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management
System (CIMBMS) has been accelerated.

86. Ministry of Steel, in association with Confederation of India Industries, will launch
“Purvodaya” steel hub to accelerate the development of eastern states.
• Purpose: to create 2.5 million jobs in the region along with developing logistics and
infrastructure.
• The hub will ensure the fulfilment of India’s steel policy target of 300 MT by 2030-
31.

87. “Cyber AASHVAST” – India’s first Cyber Crime Prevention Unit – has been established
in Gandhinagar, Gujarat to curb cybercrime.
• Also, the Video Integration and State Wide Advance Security project called VISWAS
and Project NETRANG were also launched in Gujarat.
• Under the project NETRANG, command and control rooms in 33 districts will be
established of Gujarat.
• AASHVAST also considers cyber bullying (online harassment of someone) as a crime.

88. India will host the 5th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi between January 14-16, 2020 on
the theme of “Navigating the Alpha Century”.
• Organizers: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Observer Research Foundation
(ORF)
• Raisinia Dialogue is a multilateral conference in New Delhi since 2016 by MEA and
ORF to discuss the geo-economic and geopolitical issues of Asia with an aim to
integrate the region.

89. Ministry for Women and Child Development has launched the Yashaswini scheme for
Women entrepreneurship to provide interest free loans of up to Rs 5 lakhs for 5 years
to women self-help groups by Goa govt.
• Apart from this, Swasthya Sakhi project and breast cancer screening initiative were
also launched in Goa.
• Under the Swasthya Sakhi project, a diagnostic kit will be given to the healthcare
workers in Goa to conduct basic diagnostic tests at the houses of the citizens.
• The kit has been developed by Public Health Foundation of India.

90. Ministry of Coal has promulgated the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 to
allow foreign direct investment in coal sector (govt had approved 100% FDI in coal
mining in August 2019).
• Govt has set a minimum 4% revenue share from each mine as a bid parameter.
Extra Fact:

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 A) India has the fourth largest coal resources in the world and has set a target of
production 1 billion tonnes by 2023-24.
B) Despite this, it has to import coal worth around Rs 1.7 lakh crore last year.

91. PM Narendra Modi renamed the Kolkata Port as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port
(Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder) during the 150th year celebrations of the Kolkata Port
Trust during his visit to Kolkata.
• Projects worth Rs 600 crores were also launched to develop the ports of Kolkata.
• Two oldest pensioners of the port Nagina Bhagat (aged 105 years) and Naresh
Chandra Chakraborty (aged 100 years) were awarded by PM Modi.
• PM also inaugurated the Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatri Avas (student
behaviour centre) for 200 tribal girl students from Sundarbans, West Bengal.
• Also, the commemorative stamps of the Kolkata port trust were launched.

92. Two Indian Coast Guard Ships – Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur – designed by Garden
Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd have been commissioned at Kolkata Port Trust.
• Both of them are second and third of the five Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs).
• Annie Besant was a philanthropist, theosophist, author and supporter of Indian
freedom struggle and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was India’s first Health Minister.

93. National institute of Information Technology (NIIT) has been chosen for the NEAT
initiative as one of the EdTech companies for implementing the initiative in association
with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• Also, Ministry of HRD, in partnership with NIIT, has announced to create five awards
of Rs 50,000 for faculties and 10 awards of Rs 10,000
for students.
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 About NEAT – National Educational Alliance for Technology:
A) NEAT was launched in 2019 by Ministry of HRD to stimulate learning process by
using Artificial Intelligence.
B) STEP Train – an online certification course – of the Hindu Group has been selected
by the Ministry of HRD and AICTE as a part of the NEAT programme.
Note: - Details of NEAT is covered in September spotlight.

94. Statue of Unity has entered in the list of 8 wonders of Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO).
• For the first time, India is hosting the SCO Heads of Govt meet.

95. Government has announced to acquire around 200 fighter jets out of which, 83 LCA
Tejas Mark 1A will be procured from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the rest
of them will be procured based on Request for Proposals.

96. ISRO has announced to launch GSAT-30 satellite on Ariane-5 launch vehicle from Ariane
Launch Complex from French Guiana (a French territory located in South America).
• GSAT-30 is a communication satellite which will replace INSAT-4A (launched in
2005).
• INSAT - Indian National Satellite System was launched for telecommunications,
meteorology, broadcasting and search and rescue operations mainly for
communication purposes.

97. 6th Island Development Agency (IDA) meeting, chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah,
was held in New Delhi.
• Focus of the meeting: “Green Development in the Islands to reach new heights”
• Shah reviewed the “Holistic Development of Islands” programme taken up by the
IDA to improve growth of the Islands.
• Currently, it is being implemented in 4 islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and
5 islands of Lakshadweep Islands.
• In Phase II, 12 more islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 5 Islands of
Lakshadweep islands will be developed for tourism.
• Under the Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands Industrial Development
Scheme (LANIDS) 2018 (till 2020), IT based MSMEs will be set up in these two
islands.

98. According to the ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ report released by the UN inter-
agency group for child mortality, In India the mortality under-5 years of girls, exceeded
that of boys in 2018.

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Note: - orange coloured boxes detail about the findings of UN’s report while yellow
coloured boxes detail about the SRS survey of India 2017.

99. 19th annual joint exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ of coast guards of India and Japan will be held
in Chennai.
• Japan Coast Guard Ship ‘Echigo PLH08’ has arrived Chennai to participate in it.

100. Indian Railways have signed an MoU with RailTel for executing the Phase 2 of e-
office project (developed in association with National Informatics Centre).
• Under the Phase 2, RailTel will train 39,000 users over 34 divisions of railways to
operate in a paperless e-office whereas 50,000 users over 58 divisions were trained
in Phase 1.

101. Central govt has set up an 11-member panel, headed by K Rajeswara Rao
(additional secretary of the Ministry of Mines), to consider the revision of royalty rates
for minerals (other than coal, lignite, sand for stowing and minor minerals).

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 • The panel consists of mines secretaries from Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

102. IIT-Madras has developed the “Integrated Road Accident Database” (IRAD) to govt
authorities in proper monitoring and accurate analysis of road accidents.
• World Bank has provided the financial support of ₹258 crore for developing IRAD.
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) is implementing it in 6 states with highest road
fatalities – Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh – on a trial basis.

103. Pratham NGO has released Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2019,
covering 26 districts across 24 states between 4 to 8 years of age.
Key Findings:
• In government schools, the number of enrolled girls is higher than boys whereas the
number of boys enrolled in private institutions is higher than girls.
• As per the report, 4 out of every 10 children in Class I are less than 5 years old
whereas according to Right to Education Act, 2009, children in the 1st Class should
be of 6 years.
Age Group % of students enrolled in % of students enrolled in
govt institution private institution
4-5 Girls – 56.8% Girls – 43.2%
Boys – 50.4% Boys – 49.6%
6-8 Girls – 61.1% -
Boys – 52.1%

104. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the National Draft Policy on
rare diseases 2020 which proposes to create a one-time fund of Rs 15 lakhs under
Ayushman Bharat to treat rare diseases.
• Under the policy, certain medical institutes will be certified as Centre of Excellence
for rare diseases.
• Funding for certain diseases such as Hurler Syndrome, Gaucher’s disease, Wolman
disease can be increased from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 1 crore per year through donations.
The policy has been framed based on the recommendations of:
V K Paul Committee
IC Verma Sub Committee Report
Deepak K Tempe Committee Report
Extra Fact:
There are 6,000 to 8,000 rare diseases and the treatment is available only for less than 5%
diseases in the world. So far, 350 rare diseases have been recorded in India.
In India, rare diseases are defined as those diseases affecting 6% to 8% of the population.

105. Jairam Ramesh panel, formed to Rajya Sabha to deal with pornography, has
submitted its report to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.
Suggestions of the report:

26
 • A dedicated mechanism to deal with online sexual crimes on children and changes
in the definition of 'child pornography' under the Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act.
• Also, the panel is likely to have suggested that POSCO Act would consider the act of
"advocating or counselling sexual activity" to a minor as an offence.
• An international cyber-crime reporting portal needs to be created to facilitate the
reporting of sexual crimes against children from all over the world.

106. Shiv Sena led govt in Maharashtra has issued the order to stop funds for work going
under Jalyukt Shivar scheme in Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar and Ahmednagar.
• Jalyukt Shivar scheme (water conservation) was launched to make Maharashtra a
drought-free state by 2019.

107. Biplab Kumar Sarma (chairman of a 14-member panel) formed to recommend on

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord 1985, will submit its suggestions to Home Minister Amit
Shah within 10-15 days.
• Clause 6 of the Assam Accord 1985: It aims to protect, preserve and promote the
cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

108. Kerala Government has filed a petition against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in
Supreme Court under Article 131.
• Article 131 allows a state to move to SC in case of a dispute with central
government.
• Further, Kerala has highlighted that CAA violates the Article 14 (right to equality),
Article 21 (right to life), and Article 25 (freedom to practise religion).

109. First-ever International Heritage Symposium and Exhibition (IHSE) has been
launched in New Delhi.

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 • Organizers: IIT-Delhi and sponsored by Department of Science and Technology and
Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology.
• Books launched on the theme of ‘Digital Heritage’: “Digital Hampi: preserving
Indian Cultural Heritage” and “Heritage Preservation: A Computational Approach”.
• Exhibition: The title of the exhibition is “Indian Heritage In Digital Space”.
Extra Fact – Indian Digital Heritage project
Year of launched: 2010-2014.
Launched by: Department of Science and Technology
Purpose: digital documentation of India’s tangible and intangible heritage.

110. Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) (under Ministry of Petroleum

and Natural Gas) has launched fuel conservation campaign – Saksham 2020.
• Purpose: to spread awareness about the effective fuel conservation.
• ‘Saksham’ is an annual high intensity one-month long people-centric mega campaign
of Petroleum Conservation Research Association.

111. India and Finland have signed an MoU for cooperation in procurement, production,
research and development of defence related equipment during the Raisina Dialogue.
Note: details of Raisina dialogue is covered in Jan 8-15 doc.

112. 6th edition of the Women, Business and the Law 2020 has been released by World
Bank which ranks a total of 190 countries based on the laws and regulations that restrict
women’s economic opportunities.
• Parameters: Total 8 indicators were used, that are, Mobility, Workplace, Pay,
Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension.
• Top Scorer: 8 countries scored a perfect 100, that are, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
• India’s Rank: 117th with a score of 74.4 (Benin and Gambia also have the same
scores).
• Bottom Rank: West Bank and Gaza with a score of 26.3.
• Global average was 75.2 which is a slight increase from 73.9 in the previous index
released in 2017.

113. IIM-Kozhikode organized the international conclave - “Globalizing Indian Thought”

at its campus where a life size statue of Swami Vivekananda was unveiled by PM
through video conference.

114. First Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment (DTI) was convened
in New Delhi.
• The Terms of Reference for holding the DTI was signed by India and Norway in 2019.
• Cumulative FDI equity inflows to India from Norway was around $257 million during
April 2000 to September 2019.

28
115. Ladakh Food Processing Summit - “Building Partnerships for Inclusive Growth in
Food Processing Sector” - was organised by the Ladakh govt and Ministry of Food
Processing Industries and Invest India in Leh.
• Purpose: to maximize the potential of this sector by integrating local population into
food processing and agriculture activities.

116. Mizoram and Tripura state governments have signed an agreement to allow the
rehabilitation of 34,000 Bru-Reang tribal people in Tripura.
• Central government will provide a Rs 600 crore to Tripura for rehabilitation of Brus.
• In 1997, 30,000 Brus were forced to leave Mizoram. They sought shelter in Tripura.

117. GSAT-30 (India’s latest communication satellite) has been launched successfully on
Ariane 5 VA-251 launch vehicle from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana.
• Along with GSAT-30, Eutelsat Konnect satellite of Eutelsat (European Organisation
of Telecommunications by Satellite S.A.) was also launched.

118. ‘Chapchar Kut’ - a spring festival will be celebrated by the Mizoram which is
celebrated after the jhum festival (forest clearing).
• Theme: “Promotion of Mizo’s culture and moral code” (“Zonun ze mawi chawi san”
in local language).

119. India and Bangladesh have signed an MoU for exchanging content between All India
Radio and Bangladesh Radio Betar.
• National Film Development Corporation, India and Film Development Corporation,
Bangladesh have also signed an MoU.

120. Arunachal Pradesh has become the first state in India which signed an MoU with the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to start ‘red listing’ of orchids in
association with IUCN at the state level.

121. 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 was organized in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• Organizers: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and UP Government.
• Theme: “Fit Youth, Fit India”

122. Indian Air Force is resurrecting the Sukhoi-30 MKIs squadron named as the ‘The
Tigersharks’ (Indian Air Force’s 222 Squadron) at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.
• It will be deployed in the Indian Ocean Region.

123. 51st K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer gun was made by Larsen & Toubro.
• In 2017, L&T had won the contract to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra-T gun systems to
the Indian Army.

124. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched India’s first e-commerce
housing platform named as ‘HousingForAll.com’ to bring transparency in the sector by

29
 allowing home buyers in identifying genuine properties and offer only certified projects.
• National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) has developed this portal.
• 'Real Estate Sentiment Index Q4 2019' was also launched by Knight Frank–FICCI–
NAREDCO which shows that the sentiment stood at 53 (which means pessimism).

125. Indian Army has conducted its biggest airborne exercise ‘Winged Raider’.
• Over 500 soldiers of the Special Forces parachuted from C-130 Hercules and C-17
globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

126. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has launched “APNA UREA – SonaUgle” brand
and logo of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd (HURL).
• HURL is a Joint venture company of Coal India Ltd, NTPC Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation
Limited.
• In order to make India self-reliant in urea, the central govt will revive 5 major sick or
shutdown fertilizer plants.

127. Indian Postal Department has released a commemorative stamp to honour Chuni
Goswami (Indian footballer) on his 82nd birthday.
• He is only the third Indian footballer after Gostho Paul and late Dr Talimeren Ao on
whose name a postal stamp has been released.

128. Two villages of Muzaffarnagar (in UP), Bahadurpur and Khedi Viran will be
developed as first 'Model Sports Villages of India' (Adarsh Khel Gram) to promote
sports culture in the country.
• This initiative is a part of the ‘Adarsh Khel Gram’ program of Institute of
Management Technology – Ghaziabad (IMT) in association with NGO named as
‘Sports: A Way of Life’.

129. 5th Science Film Festival of India was held in Panaji, Goa.
• Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, National Institute of Science
Communication and Information Resources and Goa govt organized the event.

130. Russia will deliver all S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025. S-400 is developed
by Almaz-Antey company.
• In 2018, India and Russia signed a deal for procuring the S-400.
• India will receive the first batch of 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles in 2020 from Russia.
• Russia has also announced to conduct a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of
China, India and Russia in March 2020 in Russia.

131. Chhattisgarh has launched ‘Rojgar Sangi’ - an employment-oriented mobile app -

developed by State Skill Development Authority.
• Purpose: to provide employment to the skilled youth.

30
132. NITI Aayog has signed an MoU with Ladakh UT to develop the infrastructure of
Ladakh under its ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects’
(DSSS).
• DSSS was implement to develop the infrastructure with state of the art technologies.
Phase 1 of DSSS was completed in 2018.

133. The group of ministers on MeToo, headed by Amit Shah, has finalized its
recommendations to be put in public.
• The group was formed in 2018 to suggest measures to prevent sexual harassment of
women at workplaces. In 2019, it was reconstituted.
• Also, the group will change some provisions of Indian Penal Code to curb this
menace.
The group considered the recommendations of the following committees before
finalizing the suggestions:
A) Vishaka guidelines, issued by Supreme Court in 1997, on which the Sexual
Harassment of Women and Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)
Act, 2013 is based.
B) Justice J.S, Verma Committee, which was formed after the Nirbhaya Gang Rape
and murder in 2012, recommendations.
C) Verma Committee which has recommended to deploy an employment tribunal
instead of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).

134. National Informatics Centre (NIC) will set up a block chain technology centre in
Bengaluru to provide blockchain as a service to all the stakeholders.

135. India has renamed its National TB Control Programme to National Tuberculosis
Elimination Programme.
• Indian scientists have developed a technology called TrueNat MTB to detect the TB
accurately.
• India aims to eliminate TB by 2025 while WHO will eliminate the disease by 2030.
• WHO has praised TrueNat technology of India which detects TB accurately.
• TrueNat was developed by Goa-based Molbio Diagnostics and received support
from Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND based in Geneva) and Indian
Council of Medical Research.
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136. For the first time, Census 2021 will collect the data of houses headed by
transgenders along with other information such as the food, toilet, tv and vehicles etc.

137. India has test fired K4 nuclear capable missile (range 3,500 km) successfully
underwater. K-series missiles are developed by DRDO.
• The missile is meant for Arihant-class submarines.
• K-4 is an advanced version of K-15 (range 750 km). K-15 missiles are also known as
Sagarika missiles.
• The K-series missiles are named after APJ Abdul Kalam.

138. India and Sri Lanka have discussed to set up a maritime research coordination
centre in the Sri Lanka to monitor the activities in the Indian Ocean Region.

139. Supreme Court has formed a committee, headed by Niranjan Bhat, to frame a law
on mediation to give legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation.
• The committee will recommend a code of conduct for the mediators (who are the
legal experts).
• CJI SA Bobde has suggested to introduced degree and diploma courses in mediation
in national law universities.
• Mediation and Project Conciliation Committee (MCPC), headed by Justice RF
Nariman, will organise a National Conference on Mediation in Chandigarh in
February.

140. Samsung has announced to set up the India's first smartphone display
manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Delhi.
• Samsung has also launched the world's largest mobile factory in Noida in 2018.

141. According to the Odisha Forest Department, 146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins
have been sighted in Chilika Lake in Odisha – highest single lagoon population of
dolphins in the world.
• In the last year’s census, the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika was 151.

142. Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the rankings of the water departments of Central
and state governments based on their efficiency targets.
• Top state: Gujarat at 1st position (from 7th in 2018)
• Bottom state or worst performer: Delhi at 35th position (from 41st in 2018)
• Most Improved: Tamil Nadu at 13th position (from 33rd) and Rajasthan was the best
water management status.

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 • Parameters: real-time data acquisition, analytical work, procurement, data
digitization, trainings, updating MIS and analytical work.
• Among the 7 Central departments reviewed, Survey of India was the best
performer.

143. Lakshadweep’s 1st Super Specialty Hospital will be established at its capital city
Kavaratti.
• Lakshadweep’s administrator: Dineshwar Sharma

144. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth (CCIG) has dictated the govt
officials, ministries and departments to reduce expenditure on travel, food and
conferences and other necessary activities by 20%.
• GDP for 2019-20 has been predicted at 5% (11 year low) by National Statistical
Office.
• Govt has also reduced its expenditure for Q4 of FY20 to 25% from 33% to maintain
the deficit at 3.3%.
Note: CCIG was constituted in June 2019 and the details of the committee has been covered
in June spotlight.

145. First Krishi Manthan 2020 – the largest food, agri-business and rural development
summit of Asia – was organized by the IIM-Ahmedabad in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

146. India will provide $50 million to Sri Lanka for the purchase of equipment for its
security forces.
• Recently, Russia has also announced to continue providing all necessary arms and
ammunition to the Sri Lankan Army.

147. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA) has
established 135 more laboratories to the existing 51 agricultural product testing labs,
taking the total number of labs to 186.

148. National Informatics Centre (NIC) has organized the 2nd edition of ‘NIC
TechConclave 2020’ in New Delhi on the theme of “Technologies for NextGen
Governance”.

149. Two tribes of Manipur – Nagas and Kukis – have signed a declaration of peace to
settle inter-community differences.
• The conflict between the these tribes began in 1993 and claimed more than 230 lives
and displaced 1 lakh people mostly Kukis.
• Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO)
have signed the declaration.

150. Bharat Electronics Ltd has commissioned real time information system to provide
information to the Indian Railways about train.

33
 • Purpose: It increases its operational efficiency and passenger safety.

151. Global Reporting Initiative has released a report to assess the countries on the basis
of the carbon reduction by corporates.
• A total of 58 Indian companies were assessed in this report. Over 98% of the top
Indian companies have now formed committees to address climate related issues.
• In terms of companies disclosing their climate-related activities, USA has topped the
list with 135 companies disclosing their action to counter climate change, followed
by Japan (with 83 companies), UK (78), France (51) and India (38).
• A total of 6,900 companies worldwide were assessed in this report.

152. Tenoch Holdings Limited (Cyprus), Maxim Naumchenko and Andrey Poluektov
(both from Russia) have sued India, for cancelling the Letters of Intent for providing 2G
telecom services, in the Bilateral International Treaty Organization (an international
arbitration tribunal headquartered in Hague, Netherlands).
• Recently, the claims have been completely dismissed by the organization.
About Bilateral International Treaty:
A) It is an agreement which sets up rules for private investment by nationals and
companies of one state in another state.
B) The treaty is the successor of the 19th century friendship, commerce and
navigation treaty.
C) World's first BIT was signed between Pakistan and Germany in 1959.
D) Bilateral investment treaties between two countries allows a private investor to
initiate dispute arbitration proceedings against the government to protect its
investments.

153. Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has organized the 1st National
consultative workshop on Strengthening Agri-Logistics in e-National Agriculture
Market (e-Nam) in New Delhi.
• According to the Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, 585 markets across
16 states and 2 Union territories have been integrated on e-NAM.
• 415 other mandis are expected to be soon integrated on this portal.
• Already, trading of Rs 91000 crores has taken place on e-NAM and it is expected to
reach 1 lakh crores in the near future.
Note: - e-NAM is covered in detail in ESI bundle >> Government Schemes >> Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Part 1 document.

154. Indian Navy has signed an MoU with Geological Survey of India (GSI) for ‘sharing of
seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval Application in Meteorology
and Oceanography’.
• Under the MoU, Indian Navy will get data from GSI which has collected the data by
using the Samudra Manthan, Samudra Kaustubh, Samudra Shaudhikama and
Samudra Ratnakar vessels.
• Benefit: It will help Indian Navy in creating effective models of operation in the
oceans.
34
155. PM Narendra Modi started the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’ interaction programme
with school students to relieve them of stress ahead of examination in 2018.
• Recently, the PM attended the 3rd edition of it in New Delhi.

156. Ministry of Defence has chosen state-owned Mazagaon Docks Limited and private
sector giant Larsen and Toubro for the production of 6 Scorpene class submarines under
P 75I project at a cost of 45,000 crore.
• These two Indian companies will now move on to the next step of joint bids with
foreign technology collaborators for this project.

157. 12th National Tribal youth programme has been organized by the Nehru Yuva
Kendra Sangathan and the govt of Puducherry in Puducherry.
• Purpose: to ensure development and empowerment of the tribal youths.
• Puducherry governor – Kiren Bedi
• Puducherry CM – Velu Narayanasamy (Puducherry, Delhi and J&K are the only
three UTs in India which have a legislature of their own.)

158. Qualcomm has launched three new chipsets – Snapdragon 720G, 662 and 460 –
which support Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).
• NavIC is the indigenous GPS system of India, developed by ISRO in 2016.
• These chipsets will make it easier for mobile manufacturers to make handsets which
support NavIC.

159. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Atal Innovation Mission
(AIM) of NITI Aayog held the Youth Co: Lab- National Innovation Challenge in New
Delhi.
• Purpose: to foster technology, youth leadership and social entrepreneurship in India.
Note: - details of the Youth Co: Lab has been covered in October Spotlight >> National News
>> News no. 34

35
160. Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched a lease agricultural land
policy and thus became the first state in India to have such a policy.
• As per its provisions, a farmer can lease out land for farming, agriculture,
horticulture, herbs, off-season vegetables, dairy purpose and solar energy to an
individual, firm or NGO for a period of 30 years.
• In return, the farmer would be provided rent by the person taking the land on lease.
• After permission from the district magistrate, a government land around the firm
can be leased out by paying the fee, but only under special circumstances.

161. Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), aka Kempegowda International

Airport, has signed an agreement with KUNZ GmbH (German company) to acquire
Disabled Aircraft Recovery Equipment (DARE) to enable faster resumption of
operations of disabled aircrafts.
• BIAL has become the first airport in India to acquire such a facility.

162. UAE has been declared as a “reciprocating territory” under the Section 44A of Civil
Procedure Code (CPC), 1908 by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Implication: It will help in enforcing the orders of UAE’s superior courts in India and
vice-versa.
• Reason: to reduce the time taken for executing court orders of both the countries.
• India has other reciprocating territory countries as well which include UK, Singapore,
Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand etc.
Section 44A of Civil Procedure Code, 1908:
It provides the provisions for executing verdicts of foreign courts in India and vice versa.

163. Global Residential Cities Index Q3 2019 has been released by Knight Frank.
• Top Ranked City: Budapest (Hungary) with 24% increase in residential prices.
• Bottom Ranked City: Jerusalem (Israel) with -13.6% increase in residential prices.
• Total Cities: 150
• Top Indian Cities: Hyderabad at 14th with 9% increase in residential prices followed
by New Delhi at 73rd and Bengaluru at 94th rank.

164. Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) has become the first state to use facial
recognition in the municipal elections of Telangana.
• Purpose: to stop fake votes.
• It will be implemented on a pilot basis in 10 polling stations in Komapally.

36
165. PM Modi has chaired the 32nd PRAGATI meeting to review the progress of the
projects being implemented by the union government.
• Projects under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and Crime
and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS) were discussed.
• In 2009, CCTNS was established to create an integrated system for effective policing
through e-governance and developing a national database of criminals.
About Pragati:
• Full form – Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation
• Launched – 2015
• Purpose – to address grievances of common people and review the
implementation of central and state govt projects.
• When conducted – on 4th Wednesday of every month

Note: - Both schemes mentioned above are covered in detail in the ESI >> Government
Schemes >> Ministry of Finance document.

166. Union Cabinet has approved the Mutual Legal Assistance agreement in criminal
matters expected to be signed between India and Brazil.
• Cabinet has also approved the agreement between India and Brazil for exploration in
the oil and natural gas sector.

167. Parliament had cleared the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of
Union Territories) Bill, 2019 to merge these two UTs into one.
• The bill will come into effect on 26 January 2020.
• The merged UT will be named as Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• Union Cabinet has approved “Daman” as the new capital of this merged UT.
• After the merger, the total number of UTs in India will be 8.
• Union Cabinet has passed various regulations to make the GST and Value added
taxes of both UTs congruent with the new rules.

168. Union Cabinet has approved the model MoU to allow unilateral recognition to the
certificates issued by the Directorate General of Shipping to Indian seafarers by another
country without seeking similar recognition by India of the certificates issued by that
country.
• Benefit: The MoU will make Indian seafarers eligible to be get employment on ships
under the flag of that country.
• The proposed model MoU between India and another country would allow
recognition of the maritime education and training, certificates of competency etc.
issued to the seafarers who are citizens of respective countries.

169. Indian Oil Corp and National Petroleum Authority of Ghana have signed an
agreement for cooperation for increasing the usage of cooking gas in Ghana.
• With Indian assistance, Ghana aims to increase the usage of households cooking gas
to 50% from the current 23% by 2030.

37
170. ISRO has formed a two-member panel to study the technologies needed for
Gaganyaan mission.
• Apart from this, a half-humanoid named Vyom Mitra will go into space in the first
test flight of Gaganyaan in 2020 and 2021.
• Vyom Mitra has been developed by the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit,
Thiruvananthapuram.

171. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, has
launched a “SAIL Employee Rendering Voluntarism and Initiatives for Community
Engagement (SAIL SERVICE)” scheme of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
• Purpose: to promote and facilitate Voluntary Philanthropist (generous) Activities by
the employees.
• “SAIL SERVICE” portal was also launched by the Ministry for implementing this
scheme.

172. Greenpeace India has released its report for 2018 which ranks Jharia (Jharkhand) as
the most polluted Indian city in 2018 followed by Dhanbad (Jharkhand) at the second
position.
• Lunglei (Mizoram) is the least polluted city.
• Out of the total 287 cities assessed, 231 were severely polluted.
• Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh: Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly,
Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad.
• Delhi has been ranked at 10th most polluted city (down from 8th position in 2017).
o National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) – a 5-year action plan – to reduce the air
pollution from the levels of 2017.
o It was launched in 2019 with a target of reducing concentrations of PM-10 and
PM-2.5 up to 30% by 2024 in 102 cities.
o Jharia is known for its rich coal reserves.

173. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has allowed the Election Commission of
India to sign an MoU with Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia and
Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) for electoral management and
administration.
Papua New Guinea Tunisia
Currency – Papua New Guinean kina Currency – Tunisian dinar
Capital – Port Moresby Capital – Tunis

38
174. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved India and Brazil’s MoUs.
• Ministry of Citizenship of Brazil and Ministry of Women & Child Development of
India have signed the MoU for cooperation in the field of early childhood.
• Geological Survey of India and Geological Survey of Brazil have signed the MoU for
cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources.
Brazil
Currency – Brazilian real
Capital – Brasilia

175. Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, has inaugurated the first ever Mahatma
Gandhi convention centre in Africa in the state of Niger to commemorate the 150th
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• S. Jaishankar is the first Indian-foreign Minister to visit Niger (West Africa) and
Tunisia (North Africa).
• This is the first ever convention centre built by India in Africa.
• So far, India has provided Lines of Credit worth $96.54 million to Niger for
transport, electrification, solar energy and potable drinking water projects.

176. POLNET 2.0 – revamped communication system for police – has been inaugurated.
• POLNET 2.0 is a satellite-based network which provides video, audio and data
connectivity across the country.

177. Uttar Pradesh has launched ‘Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana’ for
farmers of the state who die or become handicapped while working on the field.
• Under the scheme, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the farmers’ family.
Farmers aged between 18 to 70 years are eligible for this scheme.
• The amount will be adjustable for those who are already taking the benefits of PM
Jeevan Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana or any other schemes.
• The state govt is also planning to launch the Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan
Yojana to boost tourism in state.
• Under this scheme, each and every tourist spot in the state will be developed at a
cost of Rs 50 lakh.
Note: Both the schemes are covered in ESI >> Govt scheme >> Ministry of Finance’s
document.

178. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declared that India has
completely removed HydroChloroFluoroCarbon - 141 b (HCFC) – responsible for ozone
depletion.
• The ministry has banned the import of HCFC 141 b under the Ozone Depleting
substances (Regulation and Control) amendment rules, 2019 issued under
Environment (Protection) act, 1986.
• The decision is in line with the Montreal Protocol.
• HCFC-141b contributes to 50% of ozone depleting chemicals being used in the foam
sector in India.

39
 In 1987, Montreal Protocol was adopted by UN to phase out Ozone Depleting
Substances. It has been ratified by all 197 UN Member States.

179. NITI Aayog has announced to launch National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP)
in 2021 to make the government data accessible to all.
• A high powered steering committee, under the chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar (Niti
Aayog vice-chairman), to provide direction, oversee progress, guide on data sources,
and address various inter-ministerial issues on collating data.

180. Gujarat has been ranked first in the ‘SKOCH State of Governance 2019’ report for
better performance in Health, Education, Power and e-Governance sectors.
• Gujarat was ranked 5th in 2018. In 2019 index, Gujarat has topped in 8 sectorial
rankings.
• Total parameters – 22

181. India is helping Maldives to tackle the outbreak of Measles and Rubella by
distributing 30,000 vaccines in Maldives.
• Maldives was declared measles-free in 2017 by WHO.
• Maldives is observing 2020 as the “Year of Public Health”.
• In June 2019, India and Maldives had signed an MoU for cooperation in the field of
health.
• India is also helping the Maldives in building a 100-bed Cancer Hospital in Hulhumale
as part of its $800 million Line of Credit.

182. Indian Railways has inaugurated the East Coast Railway’s waste to energy plant,
which uses Polycrack technology, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• It is the fourth waste to energy plant of India and first plant commissioned by Indian
Railways.

40
183. India will set up the first ever war memorial for army’s service animals in Meerut,
Uttar Pradesh.
• A labrador breed dog named as Mansi (who was awarded the highest honour of
animals) will be on the top of the list of animals to be remembered.

184. 13th Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (largest literary show in the world) has begun in
Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• ‘The Vault of Vishnu’ book of Ashwin Sanghi was launched here.
• Arvind Krishna Mehrotra (poet and literary critic) has been awarded 5th Mahakavi
Sethia Award for poetry here. The award is given in memory of Rajasthani and Hindi
poet Kanhaiyalal Sethia.

185. World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative 2020 has ranked a total of 97 countries based
on 10 indicators for promoting breastfeeding.
• Top ranker – Sri Lanka (scored 91/100) got green code
• Bottom ranker – Libya (scored 19/100) got red code
• India’s rank – 78th (scored 45/100) got yellow code
• The countries were given 4 colour codes (red, yellow, blue and green), in ascending
order, based on their performance.
About World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative 2020:
• Launched: 2004
• Developed by: Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India in New Delhi
• Members till now: 120 countries
• Assessing countries: once in every 3-5 year
Global breastfeeding target:
• Currently, the rate of breastfeeding is 41% of 0-6 months infants worldwide.
• World Health Assembly (executive arm of WHO) has set a target achieving 50%
breastfeeding by 2025.
Indicators:

186. Department of Biotechnology (under Ministry of Science and Technology) has

organized the “Visualizing the Future: New Skylines” – an International Summit on
Women in STEM – in New Delhi.
• Aim: to increase the women’s participation in STEM – science, technology,
engineering and math – segment.

187. Central Pollution Board Control (CPCB) and Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC)
have jointly set up India’s first e-waste clinic in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
CPCB Chairperson – SP Singh Parihar
Commissioner of BMC – B. Vijay Dutta

41
188. Ministry of Rural Development and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have signed
an MoU under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(DAY-NRLM) to strengthen institutions for rural poor.
• Purpose: to reduce poverty through rural women groups to promote self-
employment as well as skilled wage employment opportunities with the help of
Gates Foundation.

189. Government has formed a three high-level steering committees to dispose of

immovable enemy properties vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under
the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
• First committee – It is a Group of Ministers, headed by Amit Shah, to monitor the
disposal of more than 9,400 enemy properties in India.
• Second committee – It is an Inter-Ministerial Group, jointly headed by Ajay Bhalla
(Union Home Secretary) and Tuhin Kanta Pandey (secretary of DIPAM).
• Third committee – It is a Core Group of Secretaries on Asset Monetisation (CGAM),
headed by Rajiv Gauba (Cabinet Secretary).
What is Enemy Property?
Þ The property which is left by those who have taken Pakistani or Chinese
citizenship.
Þ Highest number of Pakistani Enemy Property is in Uttar Pradesh.
Þ Highest number of Chinese Enemy Property is in Meghalaya.

190. India and Russia organized the first edition of the Ganga-Volga Dialogue (Track 1.5)
in New Delhi on the theme of Connectivity.
• The platform acts as a good platform for discussing various issues for developing
civilizations of both the countries.
• Volga is the river in Russia.

191. Ministry of Women and Child Development, in association with University Grants
Commission, has launched 10 chairs in universities in the name of 10 eminent women
for 5 years.
• The initiative called “Establishment of Chairs in the Universities in the name of
eminent women” aims to encourage women to carry out research activities.
• Each chair will be given Rs 50 lakh per year.

192. National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) has
partnered with UNICEF and Hyderabad field office to set up ‘Communication Resource
Unit’ (CRU).
• Aim: to provide Social and Behavioural Change Communications support to national
programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, National Health Mission and Swachh
Bharath Mission etc.
• Currently, CRU is operational in three states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and
Karnataka.

42
 • NIRDPR is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Rural Development. It
is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.

193. Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has launched ‘GATI’ – an online web
portal –to monitor the ongoing projects worth Rs 3 Lakh Crore.
• The portal has been developed on the lines of ‘PRAGATI’ portal and is accessible to
NHAI’s contractors etc.
• Portal Developer: National Highways Authority of India
Note: details of Pragati portal has been covered in Jan 23 doc.

194. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has released the State-wise
horticulture production data (3rd Advance Estimates) for 2018-19.

A) Data on Fruit Production:

• The area under fruit crops

Area under cultivation during 2018-19 was
fruit 6.65 mh, which is 26.1% of the
total area under horticulture
cultivation: cultivation in India.

Total fruit • 98.58 mt which is about

31.4% of the total production
production: of horticulture crops in India.

B) Data on Vegetable Production:

43
 West Bengal produced the highest number of vegetables at 29.55 million tonnes (mt) in FY19. It is equal
to 15.9% of the total vegetable production in FY19.

Uttar Pradesh produced the second highest number of vegetables at 27.70 mt. It is equal to 14.9%
of the total vegetable production in FY19.

Madhya Pradesh (9.6%), Bihar (9%) and Gujarat (6.8%) contributed to total vegetable production.

Area under vegetable cultivation: Total area under vegetable cultivation increased from 6.74
million hectare (mha) in 2004-05 to 10.10 mha in 2018-19.

Total vegetable production increased from 101.25 mt in 2004-05 to 185.88 tonnes in 2018-19, with
an average productivity of 18.4 tonnes per hectare.

Major vegetable crops grown in India, which accounts for 11.2% of global vegetable production, are
potato, tomato, onion, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, and okra.

195. India has signed an MoU with Tunisia for setting up an ‘India- Tunisia centre for
innovation in information and communication technologies’ in Tunis, capital of Tunisia.
• Aim: to support business acceleration and enhance interactions between innovation
and entrepreneurship ecosystems of both countries.
• 4th India-Africa Summit 2020 will be held in India in September 2020 (3rd summit
was in 2015).

196. India’s first Super Fab Lab was established in Kerala by Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (USA) and Kerala Startup Mission.
• It is the only laboratory that is established outside USA.
• A Fab Lab is a laboratory that offers digital fabrication.

197. Central government has signed the “Bodo Accord” with the National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB) to facilitate all-round development of Bodo areas without
compromising the territorial integrity of Assam.
What is the Bodoland Territorial Area District?
A) This accord has led to the reconstitution of Bodoland Territorial Area District
(BTAD) under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution.
B) BTAD will be renamed as Bodo Territorial Region.
C) Bodo language will be notified as an associate official language in Assam.
D) It is the 3rd accord signed by Central govt with the Bodo organization.
E) 1st accord was signed in 1993 with the All Bodo Students Union.
F) 2nd accord was signed in 2003 with the Bodo Liberation Tigers.

44
198. France has been chosen as the guest of honour at New Delhi World Book Fair 2022.
• India is the guest of honour for 2020 Livre Paris (Paris Book Fair).
• Romain Rolland Book Prize 2020 (given to the writers for translating French work
into any Indian language including English) was conferred upon Dipa Chaudhuri and
Puneet Gupta for translating Asterix series.

199. Government has started the celebrations of Bharat Parv 2020 programme to
encourage people to encourage Indians to visit different tourism places of India from 26-
31st January, 2020.
• Theme of the festival are: “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” and “Celebrating 150 years
of Mahatma Gandhi”.

200. National Tourism Conference was organized by the Odisha government and FICCI in
Konark, Odisha.
• During the conference, Ministry of Tourism has announced to bear the travel
expenses of tourists who travel 15 destinations of India in a year.
• Ministry of Tourism has announced to include the Sun Temple at Konark in ‘iconic
sites’ list.
• Odisha and Gujarat state govt have signed a Memorandum of Intent for promoting
the tourist sites of each other’s state.

201. INS Kavaratti (the anti-submarine warfare stealth corvettes) has been developed by
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) as part of the project P28.
• ‘INS Kamorta’ in 2014, ‘INS Kadmatt’ in 2015 and ‘INS Kiltan’ in 2017 were received
by Indian Navy under project P28.
• All these four corvettes have been named after the islands of Lakshadweep and
Arabian Sea.

202. India and Brazil signed 15 agreements for cooperation in various fields such as oil
and gas, mineral resources, traditional medicine, animal husbandry, bio-energy and
trade & investment.

45
 • Both countries signed a joint statement and an action plan to deepen cooperation
in defence and security; trade and investment; agriculture and energy; civil aviation;
energy; environment; and health and innovation.
• India and Brazil have set a target of USD 15 billion in bilateral trade by 2022.

203. Ministry of Railways has set a target of completely electrifying Indian Railways by
2024 (earlier the target was 2023). India will be the first Railways to run 100% on
electricity.
• Indian Railways has also planned to make the network zero-emission by 2030.
• Government plans to create 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030.

204. Andhra Pradesh cabinet has approved to abolish the legislative council of the state
to remove the hurdle in passing crucial bills.
• Reason: AP govt failed to pass the bills to create tri-capitals in the Legislative Council.
A) As of November 2019, six out of 28 states in India have a legislative council after
conversion of J&K into a UT (including Andhra Pradesh).
o Six States are – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana,
Uttar Pradesh.
B) Assam was the first state to abolish its state legislative council in 1947.

205. NITI Aayog has proposed to construct up to 10 large giga-factories at a cost of $5

billion to produce lithium-ion batteries for e-vehicles. The factories would get subsidies.
• Each factory would produce 5 Gigawatt hours (GWh), taking the total capacity to 50
GWh over 10 years.
• Ministry of Finance has already agreed to the Aayog’s proposal to start offering Rs
700 crore a year as subsidies to battery makers from 2022.
• The companies will become eligible for subsidy only when achieve 60%
indigenisation of their full-scale production by 2025.

206. 3rd Global Potato Conclave 2020 will be jointly organized by Indian Potato
Association, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR-Central Potato Research
Institute, and International Potato Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The conclave will be conducted on 10 themes out of which 8 themes are based on
basic and applied research and two themes will emphasize potato trade, value chain
management and policy issues.

46
207. India’s first underwater Metro, being developed under Hooghly river in West
Bengal, will be completed by 2022 at cost of USD 2.8 million.

208. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) – a US non-profit
organization – has mentioned that over 25,000 cases of child pornography have been
uploaded in 5 months in India.
• National Crime Records Bureau has made NCMEC’s data public.
• According to Ministry of Home Affairs’ data, Delhi has the highest amount of child
sexual abuse material followed by Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal.
• In 2019, Ministry of Home Affairs had signed an agreement with the NCMEC to
obtain data on Child pornography being uploaded in India.
• The Ad-hoc committee on child pornography, headed by Jairam Ramesh, has
submitted its 40 recommendations to prevent sexual abuse of children.

209. Indian Council of Agricultural Research will set up a Farmers’ Innovation Fund to
support innovation in farming sector.
• Also, an innovation centre would be established in New Delhi where the innovations
would be scientifically validated and farmers would also be allowed to pursue
research.

210. In June 2020, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will release a report card on
100 selected smart cities, which will rank cities based on public performance index,
ease of living and climate.
• Purpose: the rankings of cities would represent the work done under the Smart City
Project (which will complete 5 years in June 2020).
• Parameters: ease of living, municipal performance index and climate.
• Apart from this, quality of life (with 35% of weightage), sustainability (20%
weightage), economic viability (20% weightage) and citizen participation (30%
weightage) will be assessed.
Smart City Mission:
A) It was launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Urban Development to develop smart
cities in India.
B) Except West Bengal, every state has 1 city under the Smart City Mission.

211. Supreme Court has permitted to introduce African Cheetah in Palpur Kuno wildlife
sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh on an experimental basis.
• Reason: Cheetahs are extinct in India since 1952. Reintroduction of Cheetahs in India
will help in maintaining the ecosystem.
• In 2010, the central government set up an expert panel for reintroducing the
cheetah in India.
• The panel had recommended to introduce cheetahs in Kuno Palpur, Velavadar
National Park in Gujarat and Tal Chapar sanctuary in Rajasthan.

47
212. ISRO has launched Bhuvan Panchayat web portal’s version 3.0 to help in the
development of Gram Panchayats and to help the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in its
village development processes.
• For the first time, a thematic data base (on a 1:10,00 scale) is available with
integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.
A) Bhuvan (launched in 2009 by ISRO) is a satellite portal that allows the users to view
2D and 3D representation of the earth to help the govt in planning the development
projects better.
B) Bhuvan Panchayat web portal was launched for visualisation, planning and monitoring
of schemes at panchayat levels.
C) In 2011, the space-based information support was started to empower Panchayati raj
institutions for development planning programmes.

213. National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG) has been tasked with preparing the
National Strategy on Blockchain Policy.
• It recommended to create a national body to coordinate blockchain strategy across
various state bodies.
• CEO of NISG – J. Rama Krishna Rao

214. First advance estimate of Rabi crops has been released by the National Collateral
Management Services (a private company offering commodity based services).
• Rabi season which contributes to nearly 50% of the food grain production starts
from November and lasts till April of the following year.
• In October 2019, India received 42% more rainfall than normal which provided the
suitable conditions for sowing.
Grain 2019-20 (expected production) 2018-19 (expected Reasons for
production) increase
Wheat 109.03 million tonnes (6.27% 102.1 million tonnes A) Higher acreage
higher) due to increase
in Minimum
Support Price
B) winter rainfall
Rabi Paddy Increase by 5% - -
Maize 89.2 lakh tonnes (8.25% higher) - -
Jowar 31.2 lakh tonnes (35.2% higher) 20.2 lakh tonnes -
Cereal Increase by 7% - -
Pulses 144.8 lakh tonnes (Decline by 148 Lac Tonnes -
2%)
Gram 95.82 Lac Tonnes (5% lower) 101.3 lakh tonnes -
Moong 4.62 Lac Tonnes (10% lower) 5.10 lakh tonnes -
Bean
Mustard 85.79 lakh tonnes (lower by 93.4 lakh tonnes -
8.8%)

48
 Total Rabi 152.7 million Tonnes (higher by 143.2 million tonnes -
food grain 6%)
production

Note: The table has been prepared from economic times. The photo has been taken from
Hindu business line newspaper. These two data were mentioned in these two sources.

215. 10 more wetlands in India have been recognized as "Ramsar" wetland sites. Now,
the total number of Ramsar wetlands in India is 37.
• Ramsar Convention (1971): It is an international treaty for the conservation and
sustainable use of wetlands.
State New Ramsar Wetland Sites Total number of Ramsar
sites
Maharashtra (got its Nandur Madhameshwar 1
first site)
Punjab Keshopur, Miani and Beas 6
Conservation Reserve at Nangal
town
Uttar Pradesh Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, 7
Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar
areas

216. National Commission for homeopathy bill, 2019 has been approved by the Union
Cabinet to bring reforms in Homeopathy education.
• Currently, Homeopathy Central Council act, 1973 regulates the Homeopathy
education and practices in India.
• The act was modelled on Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.
• The act aimed to set up the Central Council of Homeopathy for regulation of the
education and practice of homeopathy, for maintenance of a Central Register of
Homeopathy.

49
217. Indian Navy has launched the Operation Vanilla in the Southern Indian Ocean to
help the people of Madagascar who are affected by Cyclone Diane.
• INS Airavat has been deployed to provide the relief work.
About Madagascar:
o It is fourth largest island in the world.
o Present in Indian Ocean.
o Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Comoros
are members of African Union and Indian
Ocean Commission.

218. Union Cabinet has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment)
Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy act, 1971.
• The bill will be presented in upcoming parliamentary session.
• Purpose: The bill extends the legal period for abortion from 20 weeks to 24 weeks. It
also includes special women (such as rape victims, differently-abled women etc).
• For the first time in 1966, Shah Commission recommended to legalize abortion.

50
219. India’s onion production will increase by over 7% at 13 lakh hectares in 2019-20
crop year from 12.2 lakh hectares in 2018-19, according to the first advance estimates
of horticulture production in 2019-20 (June-July) released by Ministry of Agriculture
and Farmer Welfare.
• Overall horticulture production is estimated to be higher by around 1% in FY20 as
compared with 2018-19.
• Overall fruits production will be lower by over 2.2% compared to 2018-19.
• The vegetable production will be higher mainly due to increased production of
tomato, onion and potato (TOP).
• Potato production will increase from 50 MT in 2018-19 to nearly 52 MT in 2019-20.
• Tomato production is estimated to increase marginally from 19 MT in 2018-19 to
19.3 MT in current year.

220. Union Cabinet has approved the amendments to National Commission for Indian
System of Medicine bill, 2019.
• It aims to bring reforms in the Indian System of Medicine Education.
• It aims to establish National Commission for Indian system of Medicine (NCIM) to
regulate Indian System of Medicine and ensure adequate supply of skilled medical
professionals in all parts of the country.
• NCIM Bill was first introduced in 2017 for conducting periodic assessments of
medicinal institutions and set up a Register for Indian Systems of Medicine.

221. Cabinet has approved to use 30% of the funds of North East Council for the new
projects in the North-eastern region.

51
222. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) organized its annual event – 20th World
Sustainable Summit 2020 – in New Delhi.
• Theme: ‘Towards 2030: Making the Decade Count’
• Purpose: The summit provides a platform to focus on 2030 sustainable development
goals.

223. 34th Surajkund International Crafts Fair – the largest crafts fair in the world – will be
organized by Haryana Govt in Faridabad, Haryana.
• Partner country for the fair – Uzbekistan
• Theme state of the fair – Himachal Pradesh
• Organizers – Haryana govt in association with Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture
and External Affairs.
• Purpose – The fair will promote tourism in India and particularly in Himachal
Pradesh.

224. NITI Aayog has released its monthly delta rankings of 115 aspirational districts,
based on six parameters, for December 2019.
• Six Parameters - Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources,
financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure.
• Aspirational districts programme was launched in 2018 to transform 115 districts
identified from 28 states.
Rank District State
1 Chandauli Uttar Pradesh
2 Belangir Odisha
3 YSR Andhra Pradesh
4 Sahibganj Jharkhand
5 Hailakandi Assam

225. According to the UN Development Program, Telangana is the best performing state
in India (with a score of 82) in terms of fulfilling SDG.
• The states have been ranked on the basis of SDG India Index 2019.
Note: NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index 2019 in December. It is mentioned in Dec
spotlight in national news (page no. 39).

226. Assam Rifles has constructed the Nagaland’s first war memorial for 357 Army
personnel who lost their lives fighting against insurgency in the North Eastern State at
Mokokchung, Nagaland.
• Nagaland already has the famous World War II Cemetery – "Veer Samriti" – in
Kohima.

227. Central government has mandated all states to set up their own state-level price
stabilisation funds (PSF) to counter price volatility of

52
 important agri-horticultural commodities such as onion, potato and pulses.
• Central govt will provide financial assistance for setting PSF which will be used for
maintaining buffer stocks of price sensitive commodities.
• Centre had set up a PSF in 2014-15 to counter price volatility of agri-horticultural
commodities.
• MSP will be funded by the state PSF.

228. According to the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), Tamil Nadu
has witnessed the highest number of sewer deaths in India at 234 between 1993-2019.
• Total 926 deaths were witnessed from 1993 till December 31, 2019.
• Gujarat has the highest number of cases (48) where the compensation amount was
not paid to the families of sewer deaths victims.
• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act,
2013 provides for rehabilitation of these manual scavengers.

229. US-based Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL- a real estate company) has released the 7th City
Momentum Index 2019 which ranks a total of 129 cities based on their dynamicity.
• Top Ranker (or the most dynamic city of the world): - Hyderabad
• Other top Indian Cities: - Bengaluru (at 2nd position), Chennai (at 5th) and Delhi (at
6th) position, Kolkata (at 16th), Mumbai (at 20th).
• India leads 2020 Index with seven Indian cities in the top 20.
• Parameters: key growth drivers, including talent attraction, the expansion of
innovation hubs and better urban planning to meet rapid technological and other
changes.

230. 12th South Asia Conference has been organised by the Institute for Defence Studies
and Analyses on theme of “India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy: Regional Perceptions”
in New Delhi.

231. India and France have partnered for developing museums, cultural spaces and
conducting research.
• Both countries will establish a joint working group for this purpose.

53
232. According to a survey named as TRANSPARENCY IN BUDGETARY PROCESS Report
2.0 by Transparency International India, Assam is the top state in terms of best
practices followed in budget formulation, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
respectively.
• 4 Parameters of the survey – public disclosure, budgetary process, post budget fiscal
management and efforts to make budget more transparent and citizen friendly.
• Meghalaya, Manipur and Punjab were at the lowest ranks.
• According to the survey, state budgets in India have never received such importance
as claimed by Union Budget which resulted in a lack of inclusiveness and
transparency.

233. World’s largest meditation centre and the global headquarters of the Heartfulness
Institute have been opened in Hyderabad, Telangana to mark the 75th anniversary of
the Heartfulness Institute.
• Kanha Shanti Vanam will be dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness, fondly
called Lalaji by the present global guide Daaji.

234. India’s first and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary has been established in Byculla Zoo
(aka Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The aviary has 100 species of exotic birds as of now.
• ‘Miyawaki’ method (developed in Japan by botanist and plant ecologist Akira
Miyawaki) was also inaugurated at Bhakti Park in Wadala, Maharashtra.
• The technique aims to grow the maximum trees in minimum area to increase
biodiversity.

235. C-448 – 3rd high-speed interceptor boat – was constructed for Indian Coast Guard by
Larsen & Toubro.
• The boat has been commissioned in Mangalore, Bangalore.

236. United Kingdom has launched an ‘Innovation Challenge Fund’ worth £4 million in
India as part of the UK-India Tech Partnership (which was announced in 2018).
• The initiative is primarily concentrating on tech innovations like artificial intelligence
in Karnataka and future mobility in Maharashtra.
• Aim: to encourage industry and academia to collaborate and develop high-tech
solutions.

54
237. Flipkart has signed an MoU with Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts
Development Corporation Ltd (GSHHDC) for promoting local handicrafts.
• The agreement is a part of “Samarth” initiative of Flipkart, launched in 2019, to help
the handicraft artisans to set up their business on the Flipkart Marketplace.

238. India and Bangladesh will conduct their joint military exercise called “SAMPRITI-IX”
at Umroi, Meghalaya.

239. Indian Railways will put RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identification) on its coaches to
accurately trace the rolling stock of railways (carrying freight and passengers) by 2021.
• RFID tags are designed by Centre for Railway Information Systems.
• RFID is an Automatic Identification and Data Collection initiative.

240. Recently, the yellow rust disease has been identified in the wheat crop in Punjab
and Haryana.
• Yellow rust disease of wheat (aka stripe rust of wheat) is caused by the fungus
Puccinia.
• Effect: It becomes the powdery yellow stripes on leaves of wheat grain. These
stripes stop the smooth photosynthesis.
• Major Wheat producing states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat.

241. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justices Arum Mishra and U U Lalit has
announced that the state-run minority education institutions like Madarsas can be
regulated by the state governments.
• These institutions cannot claim absolute rights as the Govt can also appoint
teachers in these institutions to impart qualitative education.
• SC has upheld the constitutional validity of West Bengal Madrassas Service
Commission Act, 2008, under which the selection and appointment of teachers in
madrassas will be decided by a commission.
Article 30 – mentions that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall
have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
Article 30 (1) – It ensures equal treatment between the majority and the minority
institutions and that rules and regulations would apply equally to the majority institutions
as well as to the minority institutions.

242. For the first time in India, Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) flagged off
a train filled with fruits for exports from Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh to
Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
• This is the first time in India that an entire train is being sent to the port for export.
This is the first consignment to Iran.

55
243. Ministry of Road and Highways had constituted a Committee, chaired by Shri YS
Malik, for transforming the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE) into a world
class premier institute on highway sector.
• The committee has submitted its recommendations to the ministry to improve the
IAHE across India.
• Set up in 1983, IAHE is the premier institute for pooling of experience and sharing of
knowledge on entire range of subjects involving management of highways.

244. 44th International Kolkata Book Fair 2020 was held in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Theme Country: Russia
• 30th January 2020 will be celebrated as the Focal Theme Russian Day.

245. First ever aircraft blended with 10% bio-fuel – AN-32 – of Indian Air Force has
landed successfully in Leh airport.

246. For the first time, Indian Railways has launched a high capacity parcel van at Delhi
Safdarjung Railway Station to boost the exports of the fruit.
• It is designed by Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory.

247. ISRO plans to launch 500 PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) for launching
satellites at a cost of Rs 30-35 crores each.
• USD 1,600 million budget has been allocated to manufacture these satellite vehicles.
Out of it $870 million will be for PSLV and the remaining for GSLV.
• Also, ISRO is planning to launch 10 new communication satellites to replace the
ageing satellites, having a lifespan of 12-15 years.
• The first such satellite was GSAT-30 to replace INSAT 4-A satellite.

248. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has released its report “Towards a Low
Carbon Steel Sector: Overview of the Changing Market, Technology and Policy Context
for Indian Steel”.
• As per the report, if the demand for steel grows at the current pace, then the carbon
emission from the steel sector would increase to 837 million tonnes (MT) against
the current 242 MT by 2050.
• 242 MT is 35% of the total CO2 emission of the country.

REPUBLIC DAY TABLEAUX:

249. Captain Tania Shergill (from Army’s Corps of Signals) has been appointed as the first
woman parade adjutant for the 2020 Republic Day parade. (A parade adjutant is
responsible for the parade)
• For the first time, during the Republic Day parade on 26th January, an all women
biker contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force consisting of 65 women officers
will showcase their daredevil stunts.

56
250. For the first time, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
will showcase a tableau on Startup India in this Republic Day Parade 2020 at Rajpath in
New Delhi.
• Theme of the tableau – Startups: Reach for the Sky
• Purpose – to showcase the support given by government to promote startups.
About Startup India Action Plan Initiative:
• It was launched by DPIIT in 2016.
• Aim: To allow eligible companies get recognized as startups by DPIIT in order to
access tax benefits, easier compliance, IPR fast tracking and other benefits.

251. Indian Navy will showcase its tableau at the Republic Day parade 2020 on the theme
of “Indian Navy-Silent, Strong and Swift”.
• Indian Navy week 2019 was also observed on the same theme.
• Indian Navy Day is observed on December 4 every year to commemorate the attack
on Karachi harbour by Indian Navy during the Indo-Pak War of 1971.

252. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is the chief guest of India for Republic Day’s parade
on 26 January.

253. For the first time, artillery gun system Dhanush and a marching contingent of the
Army Air Defence participated in the 71st Republic Day parade.
• For the first time, K9-Vajra, the anti-satellite (A-SAT) test conducted under Mission
Shakti, and Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) of the DRDO will also be part
of the parade.
• Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon received the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) for
serving families in Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370.
o Dhillon had also launched ‘Operation Maa’ to help the children who joined
terrorist groups in J&K.

254. The best tableaux award for the 71st Republic Day was given to Assam state by the
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Category Winner Theme of the tableaux
Among States/UTs Assam’s tableaux ‘Land of Unique
Craftsmanship and Culture’
Among • National Disaster • for their responsiveness
ministries/departments Response Force to disaster
• Ministry of Jal Shakti • for ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’
Special Mention Central Public Works Kashmir se Kanyakumari
Department’s tableaux
Note: Jal Jeevan Mission is covered in ESI’s bundle >> Monthly Current Affairs >> December
2019 document.

255. Central govt is planning to launch the PM-Yasasvi (PM Young Achievers Scholarship
Award Scheme for Vibrant India) scholarship scheme for

57
 the students of class 9 to post-graduate level belonging to the minority sections.

256. Ministry of Labour is planning to launch the Santusht portal for grievance redressal
of employees.

257. Ministry of Civil Aviation has mandated to conduct drone census in order to register
all the drones in India and every drone will get a Unique Identification Number (UIN).
• Violators of this rule will face actions under the Aircraft act, 1934 and Indian Penal
Code.

58
 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. Six Countries – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have
recently joined INSTEX – Barter Mechanism.
• ‘Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges’ (INSTEX) is a payment mechanism being
setup by the European Union.
• It was established by France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
• Purpose: to allow European countries to maintain trade with Iran (products or
services in exchange of oil) in spite of US sanctions on Iran.

2. 35th Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference was held in Abu
Dhabi, UAE (in November 2019).
• Theme of the conference was ‘Oil and Gas 4.0’.
• India aims to invest $100 billion in refining, pipeline and gas timeline by 2024.

3. Palau is the world’s first country which banned sunscreen that affect coral reefs, sea life
and other wildlife species.
• Hawaii has also banned the sun cream which will come into effect in 2021.

4. According to UNICEF’s data, the decade beginning 2010 has witnessed more than
1,70,000 grave violations against children, which is equivalent to more than 45
violations every day for the last 10 years.
• In 2018, a total of 24,000 cases of violation against children were verified. Out of
which more than 12,000 children were killed or maimed.
• During the first half of 2019, over 10,000 violations against children were identified
by UNICEF – although actual numbers are likely to be much higher.
Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989 to ensure human rights of
every person under the age of 18.

5. World Health Organization (WHO) has announced launched a pilot programme to

prequalify human insulin to increase treatment for diabetes in low and middle income
countries.
• The program was launched before World Diabetes Day
on 14 November 2019.
59
6. China’s giant paddlefish (also known as the ‘Panda of the Yangtze river’ or ‘Chinese
swordfish’) has become extinct.
• It was announced in a research paper published in Science of the Total
Environment.

7. According to Bank for International Settlements (BIS) data, bonds issued by Chinese
entities have increased to 12% in 2019 from 2% in 2007.
• USA’s bonds were reduced by 4% to 36% while the EU’s bonds shrank by 8% to 24%.
• However, US equities increased 44% in 2019 from 30% in 2007 while Chinese stocks
have lost about 40% of their value since 2007.
• According to the data from the World Federation of Exchanges and calculations by
Bloomberg News, Chinese companies possess about 12% of the total market
capitalisation of all publicly traded companies, up from 9% in 2007.

8. World’s first hotel themed on female empowerment named as Hotel Zena will open in
Washington DC, USA.
• Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (Jon Bortz, president and CEO) is developing the hotel.

9. World's largest flower - Rafflesia tuan-mudae - has been discovered in Indonesia.

• A single petal of this flower is 3.6 foot (111 centimetres) in diameter.

10. Henley Passport Index 2020 has been released.

• Top Rank – Japan with a score of 191
• India’s Rank – 84th, shared with Mauritius and Tajikistan with a score of 58 each.
• Bottom Rank – Afghanistan at 107th rank
• The Henley Passport Index 2020 is prepared based on the data from International
Air Transport Association (IATA).

11. China and Pakistan are conducting their joint naval drill – “Sea Guardians” – in North
Arabian Sea to increase the interoperability of the two navies.
• INS Vikramaditya of India has also been deployed in North Arabian Sea.

12. Iran organized the Tehran Dialogue Forum (23rd Persian Gulf International Conference)
where India supported the Hormuz Peace Initiative in Tehran to stabilize the Strait of
Hormuz amidst US-Iran tensions and to discuss the rising tension in Persian Gulf region.
• Strait of Hormuz is one of world’s busiest shipping lanes.
• Trade partners of Iran namely China, Oman, India and Afghanistan attended the
initiative.

60
 • Iran had proposed the coalition for “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” (HOPE) at the UN
General Assembly in September 2019.
Note: Read about the US-Iran tensions and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

13. According to the Global Firepower estimates, USA has the world’s most powerful
military.
• India is at 4th position.

14. A new virus named Corona causing pneumonia has been discovered in China in the city
of Wuhan and Hubei Province.
• Globally, Corona Virus was first found in 1960s which causes flu and gastro intestinal
problems.
• World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it as public health emergency.
• The virus causes serious illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-
CoV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), common cold.
• India’s first case of coronavirus has been detected in Kerala in a girl.

15. World Future Energy Summit will be held at Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• Climate Innovation Exchange (CLIX) was launched during the 2018 Summit. Since
then, it is being held on the side lines of the summit.
• CLIX is a platform where countries exchange their ideas on common global problems
comprising future of space, food, energy and mobility.

16. Australian Koalas population may be listed as “endangered” due to the Australian
bushfire which destroyed 30% of their habitat across the country.
• 2019 was the hottest year for Australia, with 1.52 °C national temperature above
average, leading to the massive forest fires which killed 1.25 billion animals approx.
and destroyed more than 10 million hectares of land.

61
 17. USA and China have signed the phase 1 of their trade deal (which erupted in 2017)
which includes:
• Intellection Property (IP) Protection and Enforcement, ending forced technology
transfer, dramatic expansion of American agriculture, removing barriers to American
financial services, ending currency manipulation, rebalancing the US-China trade
relationship and effective dispute resolution.
Actions taken by USA Actions taken by China
US will not impose tariffs on an additional China has agreed to buy an additional $200
$160 billion in Chinese imports, and the billion worth of US farm products and other
tariffs on existing $110 billion Chinese good goods and services over two years.
is to 7.5%.
USA has also dropped the tag of currency China will buy $40 billion worth of US farm
manipulator which it enforced on China. products a year (against its earlier limit of
$26 billion a year).

18. Official Aviation Guide (OAG) has released the Punctuality League 2020 which is a
ranking of the world’s largest airlines and airports for on-time performance (OTP).
Rank Top Airline (2019) Headquarters
1 Garuda Indonesia Indonesia
2 Copa Airlines Panama
3 Skymark Airlines Japan
4 Hawaiian Airlines USA
5 LATAM Airlines Group Chile
19. WHO has released a list of 13 urgent health challenges the world will face over next
decade.
Climate crisis Health care delivery in areas Health care equity Access to treatments
of conflict and crisis
Infectious disease Epidemic preparedness Unsafe products Underinvestment in
prevention health workers
Adolescent safety Improving public trust of Capitalizing on Threat of anti-
health care workers technological microbial resistance
advancements and other medicines
Health care - - -
sanitation

20. Bangladesh Government has announced to accommodate 1,00,000 Rohingya refugees

in its Bhasan Char Island.
• The Island remains submerged in water during monsoon and Bangladesh is making
arrangements to make this island habitable.
21. International Maritime Organization has released the Sulphur 2020 rules, effective
from 1st January 2020, to control maritime pollution.
• Marine sector will have to reduce sulphur emissions by over 80% by switching to
lower sulphur fuels.

62
 • Global sulphur cap of 0.5% will affect 3.5 million barrels per day demand for high
sulphur fuel oil.
• Now, shipping sector is shifting towards snake fuel as a cleaner alternative to sulphur
oil.

22. 25th edition of the biennial Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the
Commonwealth (CSPOC) 2020 was held in Ottawa, Canada.
• Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla represented India.
• Next edition of CSPOC will be held in Australia in 2022 and Uganda in 2024.
• Meanwhile, the additional CSPOC Standing Committee meetings will be held in
Guernsey in 2021 and Trinidad and Tobago in 2023.

23. In 2018, International Maritime Organization of UN had announced to reduce the

carbon emissions by 50% (from the levels in 2008) from shipping industry by 2050.
• According to the study conducted by University College London’s Energy Institute,
USD 1 trillion expenditure would be needed to achieve this target.
• Shipping sector accounts for 2.2% of total CO2 emissions of the world and 90% of
world trade happen at sea.
• Decarbonization at sea needs at least USD 50 to 70 billion annual investments
between 2030 to 2050.

24. Iran has threated to pull out of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT) if a dispute over its atomic programme goes before the UN Security
Council.

63
 • NPT was enforced in 1970 (signed in 1968) to restrict the spread of nuclear weapons
and nuclear technologies.

25. Pakistan will host a ministerial meeting of Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
on Jammu and Kashmir in April 2020.
• In December, Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad had convened the “Kuala
Lumpur” summit in Malaysia which aimed for reforms in the Muslim world.
About Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC):
Formed: 1969
Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Members: 57
Present Secretary General: H.E. Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen (Saudi Arabia)

26. International Labour Organization (ILO) has released its annual report titled as “World
Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020”.
Findings of the report:

Global Workforce
Unemployment
Unemployment Wage Conditions Participation
Parameter
Rate Rate

In 2019- 5.4% or 188 The report not only

million people include the unemployed
About 470 million people
people but also the Female - 47% (27% below
In 2020 - 5.4% (same as in total have insufficient
under-employed and than males) in 2019
2019) paid work in 2019
those lacking access to
In 2021 - 5.5% the labour market

A total of 22% (or 267 Over 630 million workers

Gradual decline of the
million) of people aged worldwide still live in
unemployment rate 15-24 were neither in extreme or moderate Male - 74% in 2019
between 2009 and 2018
employment, education poverty with earning less
has now ended
nor in training than US$3.20 per day

27. United States and the United Kingdom have ratified a treaty to protect the wrecks of
RMS Titanic from damage by explorers and tourists in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• UK has signed the treaty in 2003 while USA has ratified the treaty in 2019.

28. Economist Intelligence Unit has released the Democracy Index 2019.
• India’s is ranked at 51st position (down by 10 places) with a score of 6.90 against the
7.23 score in 2018.
• Reason for drop – an erosion of civil liberties in India.
• Total countries – 165 independent states and two territories.
• Top 5 countries – Norway (9.87 score), Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland
respectively.
• Bottom 5 countries – Chad, Syria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of
Congo and North Korea (at 167th position with 1.08 score) respectively.

64
 • Comparison with BRICS peers – Brazil was ranked 52nd, Russia stood at 134th, China
was ranked at 153rd position.

electoral
process and
pluralism

functioning
civil liberties
of govt

Parameters
of this index

political
political
participatio
culture
n
Classification of countries in

"full democracy" (scores greater than

8)
four categories

“flawed democracy” — scores greater

than 6 and less than or equal to 8

“hybrid regime” — scores greater

than 4 and less than or equal to 6

“authoritarian regime” — scores less

than or equal to 4

29. Guyana has been chosen as the Chair of G77 for the year 2020 (the year of 75th
anniversary of UN).
• Guyana has taken over the chairmanship from Palestine.
About G77:
o It is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the
UN.
o Founded – 1964
o Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

30. EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill has been passed by European Union’s (EU) parliament
and it now awaits the assent of Queen Elizabeth II.
• The bill paves the way for the Britain’s exit from European Union on 31 January with
a deal.

65
 • UK had proposed to leave EU in 2016.
• EU is a group of 28 members and after Brexit only 27 members will be a part of EU.
• Exit from EU would cause economic loss to Britain.

31. Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2020 has been released by INSEAD.
• Title of the report: Global Talent in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
• Total countries – 132
• Top Country – Switzerland (81.26 score) followed by US and Singapore
• Bottom Country – Yemen (12.36 score)
• India’s rank – 72 (40.42 score), up from 80th position in 2019 index
• Parameters – 6 metrics were used namely enable, attract, grow, retain, vocational
skills and global knowledge skills.
• Comparison with BRICS peers – Brazil (80th), Russia (48th), China (42nd), South Africa
(70th).

32. UN’s World Tourism Organisation has released ‘World Tourism Barometer’ report.
Key Findings of the Report:
• In 2019, international tourist arrivals have increased by over 4% at 1.5 billion (54
million more arrivals than 2018).
• Region wise: middle east region led the highest growth in the number of arrivals
(+8%), followed by Asia and Pacific region (+5%) and Europe & Africa both (4%).
• Based on current trends, economic prospects and the UNWTO Confidence Index,
UNWTO forecasts a growth of 3% to 4% in international tourist arrivals worldwide in
2020.
• France witnessed the strongest increase in international tourism expenditure while
USA led growth in absolute terms.

66
33. Transparency International has released the Corruption Perception Index 2019 (CPI)
which ranks India at the 80th position (score of 41) among 180 countries and territories.
• Top ranker – Denmark and New Zealand (87 score)
• Bottom ranker – Somalia (9 score)
• India is sharing 80th rank with China, Benin, Ghana and Morocco.
About the index:
Þ It gives scores between 0-100 to countries.
Þ 0 means highly corrupt whereas 100 means very clean.
Þ In 2018 index, India’s position was 78.

34. Nepal will host the 1st edition of the Sagarmatha Sambad in Kathmandu in April 2020
on the theme of ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity’.
• The Sagarmatha Sambad – a permanent biennial global dialogue – was launched in
2019 in Kathmandu (its headquarters) to discuss global, regional and national issues.
• It will be the biggest diplomatic initiative in Nepal’s recent history.
• It is named after Mt. Everest (aka Sagarmatha).

35. China (Xiangmin Liu) is the President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and
co-chair for Asia Pacific Joint Group.
• FATF’s Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) has a permanent and a
rotating Co-Chair. The permanent chair is held by Australia.
• The current Co-Chairs are Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close (Australia) and Mr.
Abu Hena Mohd. Razee Hassan (Bangladesh).

36. Visit Nepal 2020 is the largest economic diplomacy initiative of Kathmandu, Nepal.
• As part of the initiative, India, Nepal and China will hold the first ever trilateral
tourism expo in February.
• Visit Nepal 2020 has appointed Chinese actor Xu Qing as the goodwill ambassador.

37. Bangladesh has become the first country in South Asia and 119th country in the world
to launch an e-passport.
• Malaysia is the world’s first country to launch an e-passport in 1998.

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38. World’s Oldest Ever Mushroom Fossil has been discovered in the Democratic Republic
of Congo by the Steeve Bonneville (professor at Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France).
• The fossils date back to 715-810 million years ago.
• The discovery was published in the ‘Science Advances’ journal.
Some Facts about Congo:
Currency – Congolese franc
Capital – Brazzaville
President – Félix Tshisekedi
Famous for – world’s 2nd largest river Congo; deposits of
copper, gold, diamonds, cobalt, uranium, coltan and oil.

39. Switzerland has produced the World’s smallest gold coin of 2.96 millimeter which
features Albert Einstein.
• The coin (weight - 0.063 grams) has a nominal value of 1/4 Swiss francs.

40. International Court of Justice (ICJ) has decreed Myanmar to protect Rohingyas from
atrocities.
• Gambia has filed the lawsuit against Myanmar in ICJ for committing genocide on
Rohingyas.
• Myanmar is accused of violating 1948 Genocide convention of UN for preventing the
crime of genocide.
About ICJ:
Headquarters – The Hague, Netherlands
President – Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf

41. World’s tallest mural (286-foot-tall), made by Italian artist Giuseppe Percivati, has been
unveiled in Karachi, Pakistan.
• It is called Rising Blue.

42. UK has launched the fast-track visa to allow talented scientists to come in UK.
• It coincides with the Global Talent Route Program, worth £300 million, of UK for
research into advanced mathematics.

43. 13th International Children’s Film Festival – only international film festival for children
and young adults of the country – was organized by Children’s Film Society of
Bangladesh in Dhaka.
• Theme: ‘Under The World’
• Slogan: “Future in Frames

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44. In order to commemorate Brexit, Britain has released a new 50 pence coin which has
the inscription “Peace, Prosperity and Friendship with all nations”.

45. According to the research of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),
China is the world’s second-largest arms producer, preceded by United States at first
position.
• As per SIPRI’s research, Chinese companies would be on the 2nd position in terms of
arm sales during 2015–17.
• Due to the lack of transparency in the Chinese system, the complete and accurate
data could not be gathered.
• Therefore, Chinese companies were not ranked in the SIPRI Top 100 – an annual
ranking of the world’s 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies –
published in 2017.
• In 2017, In the Top 20 companies, 11 were based in the USA, 6 in Western Europe
and 3 in Russia.
• If the four Chinese arms companies investigated in the study were included in the
Top 100, they would all rank among the top 20, with combined estimated arms sales
totalling $54.1 billion.
• According to the research, China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO) is
the world’s largest producer of land systems. This company would have found 8th
position in the 2017 ranking.

46. USA has released its Middle East peace plan which suggests to create a state of
Palestine with a capital in east Jerusalem.
• Further, the plan also recommends to recognize Israeli settlements in the West
Bank in exchange for a four-year halt on new settlement activity.
• It will double the territory under the control of the Palestinians and also create a 1
million new Palestinian jobs.
• The plan envisages investment of $50 billion in Palestine. Israel has welcomed the
plan.
Note: Do read about the history of Palestine and Israel. Detail of West bank settlements has
been covered in the November 20 document in the daily current affairs bundle.

47. USA had threatened Iran of targeting the cultural sites of Iran.
• 1954 Hague Convention of UNESCO – also known as the Convention for the
Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict is the first
international treaty focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the
event of armed conflict.

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 48. “Solar Orbiter” – a spacecraft jointly developed by NASA and European Space Agency
(ESA) – will be launched from Cape Canaveral (USA) to take first ever pictures of Sun’s
north and south poles.
• It will be launched on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket.
• The mission has a lifetime of 7 years.
• It is the 2nd major mission to the inner solar system after Parker Solar Probe
(launched in 2018).
• Solar Orbiter is built by Airbus Defense and Space.
First spacecraft to study the Sun’s poles was Ulysses, which was launched by NASA and
ESA in 1990. But it could not get closer to sun. It was decommissioned in 2009.

49. According to data from the Missing Migrants Project (MMP), compiled by the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Data Analysis Center, about 800
migrant people died on different migration routes in the Americas in 2019.
• This is the highest number of deaths recorded in the region in past six years.
• At least 2,959 people lost their lives while migrating in the Americas in the last five
years, of which more than 60% lost their lives on the U.S.-Mexico border.
A) In 2014, IOM started to maintain the record of people dying during migration
through its Missing Migrant Project.
B) According to IOM’s Global Migrants Deaths, 2,421 people died in 2019.
About IOM:
o IOM was founded in 1951 in Geneva, Switzerland.
o IOM has 173 members.
o IOM Director-General – António Vitorino

50. According to the data released by UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA),
China, USA and India are at the top 3 positions respectively in terms of number of
students studying in London Universities from these countries.
• Indian student numbers in London grew by 34.7% in 2018-19 with 7,158 students.

51. NTPC Ltd has announced to become the project management consultant for the 300
MW solar power project in Togo (West African Country).
• Now, Togo has become the first nation in the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to
get the services of NTPC.
NTPC Chairman and MD Togo Currency Togo Capital Togo President
Gurdeep Singh West African CFA franc Lome Faure Gnassingbé

HIGHLIGHTS OF 50TH ANNUAL MEETING OF WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

52. The High-level roundtable of UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS) was organized at World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos,
Switzerland.
• Theme of the roundtable – Access for all: Leveraging Innovations, Investments and
Partnerships for Health.

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 • UNAIDS was started in 1996 and aims to end AIDS by 2030 as part of SDG 3 (Good
Health and Well-being).
• UNAIDS 2016-2021 strategy was adopted to end the AIDS epidemic.

53. World Economic Forum has launched the Reskilling Revolution to train 1 billion youth
by 2030 to adapt the new technological challenges triggered by the 4th Industrial
Revolution.
• Public Entities: Brazil, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, UAE and USA are the founding
governments of this initiative.
• Private Entities: PwC, Salesforce, ManpowerGroup, Infosys, LinkedIn (data partner),
Coursera Inc. and The Adecco Group are the business partners in this initiative.
• Benefit: through the public-private partnership, WEF’s Reskilling Revolution will
provide necessary skills to the 1 billion people.
• WEF also released a report – “Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New
Economy”.

54. World Economic Forum and USA have joined the “Tree Trillion Campaign” of the UN to
grow a trillion trees in the next decade and also launched a project – 1t.org – to support
the campaign.
• In 2006, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had launched the “Billion
Tree Campaign”. UNEP has handed over the campaign to Plant for the Planet (NGO)
in 2011.
• WEF has also released a report on the importance of passwords in cybercrime and
the cost involved in keeping them safe.
• Cybercrime will cost $2.9 million every minute in 2020, and some 80% of these
attacks are password-related.
• Top 5 technologies for password protection: behavioural analytics, biometrics, QR
codes, zero-knowledge proofs and security keys.
• Theme of the WEF’s annual meet 2020 – 'Stakeholders for a Cohesive and
Sustainable World.

55. 23rd Global CEO Survey (conducted annually by PwC) was launched during the World
Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
• India is the fourth choice of CEOs after the US, China and Germany for their
companies' growth prospects in scenario of sluggish economic growth.
• Only 9% CEOs in a global survey favoured India.
• China's CEOs showed the highest level of confidence in the growth of their own
companies at 45%.
• Indian CEOs showed second highest level of confidence at 40% while China was at
the 1st position. USA, Canada and UK are at 3rd, 4th and 5th positions respectively.
• USA was lead market, CEOs look to for growth at 30% over the next 12 months.
• Japan has the least optimistic CEOs with only 11% confident of growing revenues in
2020.

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56. World Economic Forum has released its 15th Global Risks Report 2020 which has
identified top 5 global risks.
• The 5 major risks are of environmental, economic, geopolitical, societal and
technological.
• As per the report, 78% respondents expect ‘economic confrontation’ (standoff)
among might increase in 2020.
• For the first time, the top 5 risks in long term in terms of likelihood are all related to
environment.

57. World Economic Forum (WEF), has released the first edition of the report “Nature Risk
Rising: Why the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for Business and the Economy”, in
partnership with PwC, under WEF’s Nature Action Agenda.
• Purpose: the report assesses the impact of natural (climate) change on economy and
businesses.
Facts mentioned in the report:
A) According to the report, businesses are dependent on nature with an estimated
exposure of $44 trillion which is equal to half of the world’s GDP.
B) 25% of the plant and animal species, 75% of land and 66% of marine environment
has been disturbed by human activities.
C) Construction industry draws $4 trillion, agriculture draws $2.5 trillion and food &
beverages draws $1.4 trillion from nature.

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 D) Industries which are highly dependent on nature generate 15% ($13 trillion) of
global GDP cumulatively, whereas moderately dependent industries generate
37% ($31 trillion) of GDP.
E) In terms of global exposure, larger economies have the highest absolute amounts
of GDP in nature-dependent sectors: $2.7 trillion in China, $2.4 trillion in the
European Union, and $2.1 trillion in the United States.

58. 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in Davos,
Switzerland on the theme of “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”.
Decisions taken at the Summit:
A) New Internet security principles were adopted to prevent cybercrime which is
expected to cost $6 trillion in 2021.
o It will affect nearly 1 billion users.
B) First ever public blockchain track and trace platform
o It has been developed to help businesses fulfil the consumers’ demands for
environment-friendly products.
o Provided by – WEF and first-movers Everledger, the International Trade Centre
and Lenzing Group.
C) Global Consortium for Digital Currency Governance – first ever platform for digital
currency governance established
o The consortium will have govt, businesses and other organizations.
D) O.P Jindal Global University signed an MoU with the University of Zurich
(Switzerland) for cooperation in the field of higher education and research.
E) Madhya Pradesh govt received investment of Rs 4,125 crores in food and renewable
energy sectors at WEF.
o MP received FDI of Rs 125 crore from Saudi Arabia Agriculture and Livestock
Investment Company (SALIC).
o Two central wind projects of 325 MW capacity were approved by SoftBank
Energy (Japan) and Actis (England) respectively.
F) Karnataka govt has signed an informal agreement with WEF to launch “Centre for
Internet of ethical things”.
o Aim: To keep a check on misuse of artificial intelligence and enhance ease of doing
business.
G) Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has signed an agreement with WEF to
expand the drones market.
H) Tata steel Kalinganagar (in Odisha) was honoured for becoming the only Indian
manufacturing plant to be included in the Global Lighthouse Network of WEF.
I) Deepika Padukone was awarded with 26th Crystal award 2020 for raising awareness
on mental health.
J) 1st edition of Positive Impact Rating 2020 conducted by WEF launched.
o Purpose: to rank business schools on the basis of their contribution towards the
solving societal challenges.
o Total number of schools in the ranking – 51

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 o Indian schools in the ranking – IIM-Bangalore in Level 4 and XLRI Xavier School of
Management (Jharkhand) in Level 3 category.
o The schools were ranked in the five categories:
Þ Level 1- Beginning
Þ Level 2- Emerging
Þ Level 3- Progressing
Þ Level 4- Transforming
Þ Level 5- Pioneering
o Total 21 schools were in the Level 3 and 9 schools were in Level 4 category.
K) WEF has appointed Kristalina Georgieva (chief of International Monetary Fund) and
Patrice Motsepe (Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals) to its board of trustees.

59. World Economic Forum has released the “The Global Social Mobility Report 2020:
Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative” report for the first time.
• Total countries: 82
• Top rank: Denmark (with 85.2 score)
• Bottom rank: Côte d'Ivoire (with 34.5 score)
• India’s rank: 76th (with 42.7 score)
• Parameters: 5 key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars: Health, Education,
(access, quality and equity, lifelong learning), Technology, Work (opportunities,
wages, conditions), Protection and Institutions (social protection and inclusive
institutions).

India’s performance based on 10 pillars

India’s rank (out of 82
Pillars Top ranker
countries)
Health 73 Cyprus
Education Access 66 Netherlands

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Education Quality and Equity 77 Sweden
Lifelong Learning 41 Switzerland
Technology Access 73 Denmark
Work Opportunities 75 Iceland
Fair Wage Distribution 79 Belgium
Working Conditions 53 Sweden
Social Protection 76 Denmark
Inclusive Institutions 67 New Zealand
• Suggestion of the report: If countries included in this report were to increase their
social mobility index score by 10 points, this would result in an additional GDP
growth of 4.41% by 2030 in addition to vast social cohesion benefits.

Extra Fact:
1) There was a Deloitte City Mobility Index which was released in 2019:
o Indian city to be ranked at the top in this index is Mumbai followed by
Delhi and Bangalore.
o Overall, Amsterdam (Netherlands) had topped this index.
o The index measured cities on the basis of 3 parameters – Performance and
resilience, Vision & leadership and Service and inclusion.

60. During the WEF’s meeting, a survey conducted by the WEF in 30 countries (which
represent 76% of world population) was presented.
• Purpose: the survey was conducted to assess the level of trust people have on
climate science.
• It found out that India, followed by Bangladesh, has the most people who trust in
the climate science and the most people who are aware about the climate
conditions.
• The survey was presented in two parts – Toward More Sustainable World and
Toward a more Cohesive World – which form the theme of 2020 annual meeting.

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 BANKING AND ECONOMY

1. IFCI Ltd has sold its entire 2.44% stake in National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) for
₹805.6 crore.
• The stake sale has valued NSE at around Rs 40,000 crore.

2. RBI has given its approval to National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and
Credit Societies (NAFCUB) for creating an umbrella organization to provide financial
support, IT infrastructure, among other things, to the Urban Co-operative Banks.
• Since these banks cannot raise money from capital markets directly, therefore, the
umbrella organisation would provide them access to capital through their ability to
tap capital market.

3. The Atanu Chakrobarty (Economic Affairs Secretary) led panel on National

Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has submitted its recommendations to Ministry of Finance.
• The total plan is worth ₹102 lakh crore, in line with India’s aim to invest $1 trillion in
infrastructure sector by 2024-25 to make India- a $5 trillion economy.
• Funding: Central and state governments would have an equal share of 39% each in
the NIP.
o And, the private sector would have 22% share which the government expects
to increase to 30% by 2025.
• India would need to spend $4.5 trillion by 2030 on infrastructure to sustain its
growth rate.
• India will host an annual Global Investors Meet 2020, where Centre and States will
meet all the investors to talk about the infrastructure opportunities.
Sector wise bifurcation of funds (or required investment)
Irrigation and rural infrastructure projects ₹7.7 lakh crore each
Road projects ₹19.63 lakh crore
Railway projects ₹13.68 lakh crore
Port projects ₹1 lakh crore
Airports ₹1.43 lakh crore
urban infrastructure ₹16.29 lakh crore
telecom projects ₹3.2 lakh crore
Energy sector ₹24.54 lakh crore (out of which ₹11.7 lakh
crore would be in the power sector)
NIP projects which are in the ₹42 lakh crore
implementation stage now (include
expressways, national gas grid and PMAY-
G)
Port and airport projects, ₹2.5 lakh crore
Digital infra projects ₹3.2 lakh crore
Irrigation, rural, agriculture and food ₹16 lakh crore
processing projects

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4. RBI has launched “MANI” (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) app to help visually impaired
people to identify currency notes accurately.

5. RBI has released the report “Developments in India’s Balance of Payments during the
Second Quarter (July-September) of 2019-20”.
Key findings of the report:
• India’s current account deficit (CAD) decreased to 0.9% ($6.3 billion) of GDP in July-
September 2019 quarter due to low trade deficit of $38.1 billion.
• Net FDI was $7.4 billion in the Q2 of 2019.
• Remittances increased by 5.2% to $21.9 billion in Q2 of FY20 as against the Q2 of
FY19.
• Net inflow of external commercial borrowings (ECB) was $3.2 billion.
• Foreign exchange reserves grew to $5.1 billion.
• CAD was 1.5% in the first half of FY20 as compared to 2.6% in the first half of FY19.

6. HDFC Ergo’s acquired 50.8% stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company for Rs.
1,347 crore.
• After the acquisition, Apollo Munich will be merged with HDFC Ergo and will be
known as HDFC ERGO Health Insurance Company Ltd.
• Apollo Munich is a joint venture between Apollo Hospitals and Munich Re Group
(German reinsurer).

7. Bank of Baroda has partnered with JM Financial Home Loans Limited (JMFHL) for co-
lending to home buyers.
• JMFHL is the housing finance arm of JM Financial Group.
• BoB Non-Executive Chairman- Hasmukh Adhia
• BoB Tagline – India’s International Bank.

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8. According to the data of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, FDI inflow in the first half
of 2019-20 (FY20) was $26 billion against the $22.66 billion in 2018-19.
• Country-wise: Singapore was the largest source of FDI in India in the first half of
FY20 with $8 billion investment.
o Mauritius and USA are the 2nd and 3rd largest sources of FDI in India during
the H1 of FY20.
• Sector-wise: Services sector attracted the highest FDI inflow of $4.45 billion
followed by computer software and hardware at USD 4 billion.

9. Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd (based in Uttar Pradesh) has become the first
co-op bank in India to convert into a small finance bank.
• RBI has granted licence to Shivalik Mercantile bank under Section 22 (1) of the
Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• In 2018, RBI has released the scheme for allowing conversion of Primary (Urban) Co-operative Bank into
Small Finance Bank.
• Following are the requirements for converting into an SFB:

• Rs 50 crore
Minimum • Capital to risk weighted assets ratio of 9%
Capital

• A promoter should be an Indian resident with 10 years of experience in banking and finance
• Promoter or promoter groups should conform to the definition of the SEBI (Issue of Capital
Promoter's & Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009 and RBI guidelines on fit and proper.
Citizenship

• These SFBs will have to comply with the latest on-tap licensing requirements released by
RBI.
Other • These guidelines have been covered in September Spotlight in Banking and Economy
requirement category (news no- 62)

• Apart from these requirements, SFBs are required to extend 75% of their loans
under priority sector lending (PSL) to specific sectors. Additionally, 50% of the SFB
loan portfolio should constitute loans and advances up to ₹25 lakh.
• Chairman of Shivalik Mercantile – Yashvir Kumar Gupta.

10. Minister of Commerce and Industry has announced to impose strict quality standards
for importing 371 items by March 2020.
• Purpose: to reduce the imports of unnecessary goods (such as toys, plastic goods
etc.) especially from China.
• The trade deficit of India with China is $53.6 billion.
• Non-essential imports from China amounts to $4 trillion per annum.

11. Prime Minister’s Office has set up a committee to differentiate between necessary
imports for domestic industry and other unnecessary imports within 6 months.
• Purpose: to reduce imports in India.

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 • According to the Department of Commerce, many of the imported goods are not
properly categorised as per the Harmonized System (HS) of tariffs.
• Till now, a total of 371 unnecessary items have been identified.

12. Exim Bank has granted a line of credit of $75 million to Cuba for establishing the 75 MW
Photovoltaic Solar Parks.
• Banco Exterior De Cuba is the nominated agency of Cuba for accessing the loan.

13. Common Service Centres has signed an MoU with Paytm Payments Bank ltd for selling
FASTags.

14. Indian bank and Women Entrepreneurs Welfare Association (WEWA) of Tamil Nadu
have signed an MoU to provide training and credit to women entrepreneurs to establish
business.

15. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has directed all the
health and general insurance companies to offer “Arogya Sanjeevani” life insurance
policy w.e.f., April 1, 2020.
• It is the first standardised health insurance products.
• The minimum sum insured in this scheme will be Rs 1 lakh and the maximum sum
insured limit will be Rs 5 lakhs with a tenure of one year.

16. PayPal India has launched a new Adoption Assistance Program to offering financial help
of up to Rs 1 lakh to parents for one adoption.

17. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has signed an MoU with Wipro 3D to jointly design, develop
and manufacture aerospace components by using the 3D technology.

18. 2nd National GST Conference of Central and State Commissioners, chaired by Ajay
Bhushan Pandey (Revenue Secretary), has been organized to improve the efficiency of
GST.
Key Decisions:
• A committee of central and state officers will be formed to curb fraudulent refund
claims.
• Foreign exchange remittances will be linked with Integrated GST refund to curb
fraud refund claims.
• Data sharing between Central Board of Direct Tax (CBDT), GST Network (GSTN) and
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) will be shared on a quarterly
basis instead of the annual basis.

19. RBI has revised the Supervisory Action Framework for Primary (Urban) Co-operative
Banks (UCBs).
• Condition: If the UCBs exceed the minimum thresholds (of asset quality, profitability
and Capital to Risk-weighted Assets ratio) provided by the framework, then RBI

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 would take stringent actions against the banks under the section 35A of Banking
Regulation Act, 1949.
• RBI has mandated all UCBs (with deposits of Rs 100 crore and above) to form a
Board of Management, in addition to the Board of Directors, which will primarily
recommend action for NPA recovery among other things.
Capital to Risk-
Asset Quality Profitability weighted Assets
ratio (CRAR)

A UCB will be placed

Net NPAs should not under this framework, UCBs have to maintain
exceed 6% of the net if it incurs losses for CRAR minimum at 9%.
advances of UCBs two consecutive years
Or

RBI can restrict the

the UCB has If it fails to do so, it
issue of fresh loans
accumulated losses on can be put under the
carrying risk-weights
its balance sheet. framework
of more than 100%

20. RBI has permitted category–I banks to offer foreign exchange prices to users at all times
(24X7) to traders either by a domestic sales team or through their overseas branches.
• To help traders hedge their investments on the domestic front.

21. National Stock Exchange knowledge Hub equipped with the latest technology of
Artificial Intelligence was inaugurated.
• The hub will assist insurance, banking and financial services.
• According to Itihaasa (research agency), India ranks 3rd, preceded by USA at 2nd and
China at 1st position in terms of the research articles published in the field of AI.

22. SEBI had issued the circular in 2018 to split the posts of Chairman and Managing
Director in listed companies to boost the corporate governance on the
recommendations of Committee on Corporate Governance under the Chairmanship of
Uday Kotak (constituted in 2017 by SEBI).
• The norms are to be complied by March 2020.
Role of Chairman After Split Role of Managing Director After Split
A non-executive director should be made chairman. An MD will be mainly in charge of the day-to-
Chairman will preside over the board and deals day operations.
with broader issues
• SEBI has extended the deadline for separating the posts of Chairman and Managing
Director or CEO for 500 listed companies by 2 years till April 2022 (earlier the
deadline was 2020).

23. During the Mining Summit 2019 held in New Delhi, Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) has released its study report ‘Towards a Globally Competitive Minerals & Mining
Industry’.

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 • As per the report, mining sector should get a high emphasis in order to make India a
$5 trillion economy.
• The mining sector should constitute a 3% share in the GDP by FY25 (2024-25).
• According to Mr Sunil Duggal (Chairman of CII National Committee on Mining and
CEO of Hindustan Zinc Ltd.) mining has the maximum multiplier effect on Indian
economy which is 13 times the agriculture and 6 times of manufacturing.
o In terms of GDP contribution, every 1% increase in the growth rate of mining
leads to an increase of 1.2-1.4% in the growth rate of industrial production.

24. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed to mandate BS VI emission
norms for quadricycle with effect from 1st April 2020.
• India has accepted quadricycle as a new category of vehicles in 2018.

25. Central government has lowered the input tax credit under GST to 10% from 20% of
eligible credit, if invoices or debit notes are not provided in filings w.e.f., Jan 1, 2020.
• Also, the debit of input tax credit will be barred for one year in case of credit being
availed fraudulently.
• Purpose: to check tax evasion and menace of fake invoicing.

26. Government has made changes into the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial
Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest (Sarfaesi) Act to give priority to the
claims of secured lenders.
• The Sarfaesi Act allows banks and financial institutions to auction residential or
commercial properties of a defaulter to recover loans.
• Over 2,48,000 cases were referred for recovery through the Sarfaesi Act in 2018-19,
involving an amount of Rs 2.89 lakh crore.

27. According to Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), India’s seafood
exports (particularly Shrimp) to China has grown by 42% to $1 billion in January-
November 2019.
• Currently, USA is the top buyer of Indian seafood with 33% share of the annual
Indian seafood export worth over Rs 46,500 crore. China’s share is just 15%.
• USA export growth rate, in this case, is 13% in 2019 against China’s 42%.
• China is the largest producer of the shrimp (1 million tonnes), bulk of which is
internally consumed in the country.

28. Uber has acquired Careem (service delivery internet platform) for $3.1 billion.
• Careem Networks FZ-LLC has now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber,
preserving its own brand.

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 • Careem co-founder and CEO Mudassir Sheikha will continue to lead the Careem
business.

29. According to RBI, close to half of the resolution cases were resolved through Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
• After consecutive rise for 7 years, NPAs have declined in 2018-19 and bad loans
recognition neared completion and the slippage ratio improved.

30. State Bank of India has reduced its external benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points
to 7.8% from 8.05% w.e.f., January 1, 2020.
• New home buyers will get loans at an interest rate starting from 7.9% a year
(previously at 8.15 percent).
• SBI has become the first bank to cut its external benchmark rate after the RBI's
monetary policy review in December 2019.
Note: - Details of the External Benchmark Rate is explained in this YouTube video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbROv5QagMY

31. Ministry of Finance has reduced the limit of government spending to 25% from the
earlier limit of 33% for the last quarter (Jan-Mar 2020) of their budget estimate for the
entire financial year.
• Reason:- to reduce govt expenditure to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of the
GDP.
• Out of 25% cap, only 10% can be spent in March.
Extra Fact:
Government is expected to bear the cost of Rs 1.45 lakh crore caused by the recent
reduction in corporate tax to help revive the economy.
The government’s fiscal deficit for April-October period was 2.4% more than the full year
estimate.

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32. According to the Directorate of Wheat Research, wheat production in the current crop
year 2019-20 (from July to June) is expected to touch an all-time high of 105 million
tonnes.
• Wheat acreage has increased 26.27% to 29.7 million hectare this year, leading to an
increase in the production by 3% from the previous year’s level.
• The increase in acreage was largely in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and
Uttar Pradesh.

33. Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) will launch “The Pharmaceutical Technology

Upgradation Assistance Scheme” (PTUAS) to provide interest subsidy of 6% for loans up
to Rs 8-10 crore for the first 3 years.
• Aim: to help small and medium pharma companies to improve manufacturing
practices through technology and infrastructure upgradation.
• DoP has set aside a budget of Rs 300 crore for disbursal as interest subsidy for 2020-
2022.
• Condition: Drug companies that avail loan under the scheme will have to achieve
export revenue exceeding the loan amount within 36 months, and if they fail they
will pay a penalty, and the amount borrowed will be converted into a regular loan.

34. According to RBI’s data, public sector bank’s share of the total credit outstanding fell to
60% at the end of March 2019 from 75% in 2012.
• PSB’s gross NPA ratio, at the end of March 2019, was 11.6% and contributed nearly
Rs 7.39 lakh crore to the total bad loan pile of Rs 9.36 lakh crore.
• On the other hand, private banks had a GNPA ratio of 5.3% with Rs 1.83 lakh crore
as bad loans in value terms.

35. Companies with an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore or above will have to mandatorily
provide digital payment options to the customers.
• Otherwise the companies would pay Rs 5000 per day as fine w.e.f., February 1, 2020
under the Section 271 DB of the Finance Act.

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36. A group led by Tencent has bought a 10% stake in Vivendi's Universal Music Group
(world’s largest music company) for 3 billion euros.
• Total valuation of Universal Music is 30 billion euros.

37. RBI has rejected banks’ demand to extend the January 7 deadline by 3 months to come
up with resolution plans under inter-creditor agreements (ICAs) on stressed assets.
• This decision has forced banks to now refer the cases to the bankruptcy court.
• Banks were working on resolution plans for cases worth Rs 3 lakh crore. They will
have to make additional provisions against accounts where resolution plans are not
signed, and refer those to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• The last date of signing ICA was January 7 for loans exceeding Rs 2,000 crore
whereas ICA for exposures amounting to Rs 33,610 crore are yet to be signed.

38. Europe's Airbus has become the world's biggest plane maker in 2019 by delivering 863
aircrafts whereas USA’s Boeing was on the second position with just 345 aircrafts.

39. According to RBI’s data, credit growth of banks has shrunk 6.7% to ₹99.47 lakh crore at
the end of 2019, compared with ₹92.87 lakh crore at the beginning of the year.
• Last year the credit growth of banks was 14%.
• Credit rating company ICRA has also projected that India’s outstanding credit could
expand at 6.5-7.0% in FY20 between April 2019 and April 2020, (lowest in six
decades).

40. According to Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), India’s sugar production has fallen
sharply by 30.22% to 7.79 million tonne till December 2019 from 11.17 million tonne in
the same period of the 2018-19 marketing year (October-September).
• Ex-mill sugar prices remained stable in the range of Rs 3,250-3,350 per quintal in
north India and at Rs 3,100-3,250 per quintal in the south India.
• In the first estimate, ISMA had kept the sugar production lower at 26 million tonne
in 2019-20 from 33.16 million tonne in 2018-19.

41. SEBI has mandated the credit rating agencies (CRAs) to issue INC (Issuer not
cooperating) ratings if companies are not cooperating with them on disclosure of loan
defaults.

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 • If a company has the INC rating for more than six months, then the CRA shall
downgrade the rating assigned to the instrument of the company to non-investment
grade with INC status.
• Further, CRA shall not assign any new ratings to a company, which continues non-
cooperation for further 6 months from the date of downgrade to non-investment
grade, until the company resumes cooperation or the rating is withdrawn.

42. Ministry of Corporate Affairs has mandated the private companies with total
outstanding debt of Rs 100 crore or more to submit a secretarial audit report to the
government.
• Now, private companies with Rs 10 crore paid-up capital will have to maintain a
company secretary (up from Rs 5 crore earlier).

43. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has agreed to buy a 75% stake in
Krishnapatnam Port Co. Ltd (a multi-cargo facility located in Andhra Pradesh) for
₹13,500 crore.
• APSEZ is India’s largest private sector port operator.

44. UCO Bank has announced to organize a 45-days long ‘loan carnival’ to disburse loans of
up to Rs 4,000 crore (2700 crore for retail loans and 1300 crore for MSMEs).
• UCO Bank has recovered around Rs 800-900 crore from four large stressed assets in
2019.
• The bank also aims to reduce its net non-performing ratio to less than 6% by March
2020, from 7.32% at the end of September 2019, to exit RBI’s prompt corrective
action (PCA) framework.

45. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the disinvestment of
equity in Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL), which is a joint venture of 4 Central
Public Sector Enterprises and two-state PSUs.
• Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Ltd holds 49.78% equity and National
Mineral Development Corporation holds 10.10% of equity in NINL.
• Apart from these companies, MECON and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and Odisha’s
PSUs – Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd and in Odisha
Mining Corporation are the other partners.

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46. National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the First Advance Estimates of National
Income at both Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices for 2019-20 along with the
corresponding estimates of expenditure components of GDP.
Index of Industrial Production (IIP) of first
7 months of the financial year

financial performance of Listed Companies

in the Private Corporate sector available
upto September, 2019
Parameters of the 1st estimates

1st Advance Estimates of Crop production

Accounts of Central & State Governments

GDP (at Constant Prices GDP estimates 2019-20 GDP estimates 2018-19
(2011-12)
Real GDP ₹147.79 lakh crore ₹140.78 lakh crore
Growth in Real GDP 5% 6.8%
Gross Value Added (GVA) at 4.9% 6.6%
Basic Prices
Per Capita Income in real ₹96,563 ₹92,565
terms
Growth rate of Per Capita 4.3% 5.6%
Income in real terms

GDP (at Current Prices) GDP estimates 2019-20 GDP estimates 2018-19
Nominal GDP ₹204.42 lakh crore ₹190.10 lakh crore
Growth in Nominal GDP 7.5% (rise) -
Net National Income (NNP at ₹181.10 lakh crore ₹168.37 lakh crore
Current Prices)
Growth rate in NNP 7.6% 11.3%
Growth rate of Per Capita 6.8% 10%
Income in net national income

Core Sector-Wise Growth estimates (at 2019-20 (in %) 2018-19 (in %)

constant prices 2011-12)
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing 2.8 2.9
Mining & Quarrying 1.5 1.3
Manufacturing 2 6.9
Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & other 5.4 7
Utility Services
Construction 3.2 8.7

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 Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication 5.9 6.9
and Services related to Broadcasting
Financial, Real Estate & Professional 6.4 7.4
Services
Public Administration, Defence and other 9.1 8.6
Services
Total GVA at Basic Prices 4.9 6.6

Core Sector-Wise Growth estimates (at 2019-20 (in %) 2018-19 (in %)

current prices 2011-12)
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing 9.8 4
Mining & Quarrying -1.6 16.8
Manufacturing 2.3 10.9
Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & other 4.8 13.4
Utility Services
Construction 4.6 13.4
Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication 7.6 11.6
and Services related to Broadcasting
Financial, Real Estate & Professional 7.6 12.7
Services
Public Administration, Defence and other 14.6 14.3
Services
Total GVA at Current Prices 7.6 11.1

National Expenditure on constant prices 2011- on current prices (in %)

estimates (2019-20 estimates) 12 (in %)
Private Final Consumption 57.4 60.2%
Expenditure
Government Final 11.3 11.9
Consumption Expenditure
Gross Fixed Capital Formation 31.1 28.1

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) April-November (2019-20) estimates (in %)

Food Articles 8 (rise)
Manufactured Products 0.3 (rise)
Electricity (-) 0.3
All Commodities 1.4
Consumer Price Index (CPI) 3.7 (rise)

47. SBI has reduced India’s GDP growth rate for FY20 to 4.6% from 5%.

48. Competition Commission of India (CCI) has released a “Market Study on E-commerce in
India: Key Findings and Observations” report. (The research for the report was started
in April 2019 by CCI)
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 • Goods, accommodation services and food services are the ‘factors influencing
consumers’ choice of marketplace’.
• Apart from the below-mentioned quantitative measures, the report also mentions a
qualitative assessment of the e-commerce market in India.
Key Findings:
A. Revenue of e-Commerce firms
o In 2017 – $39 billion
o In 2020 – $120 billion (expected)
o Growth rate – 51% (highest in the world)
B. Number of internet users
o In 2017 – 445.96 million
o In 2019 – 665.31 million
o In 2021 – 829 million
C. e-Commerce in the goods category
o Grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57% in the last 7 years
o CAGR in 2022 – 18.6% (expected)
D. Food tech industry
o CAGR growth rate between 2016-21 – more than 12% (estimated)
E. Restaurants on Online platform (in food service category)
o 83% of restaurants have online presence
o On an 29% of their total revenue comes from online sales

49. SBI has launced a new scheme named Residential Builder Finance with Buyer
Guarantee (RBBG) to protect home buyers (availing SBI Home Loan) by issuing
guarantee about the completion of residential projects.
Terms and Conditions:
• House price limit: up to Rs 2.50 crores in 7 cities initially
• Loan amount limit for builders: between Rs 50-400 crores.
• Refund: Entire principal amount will be refunded by SBI to home loan borrowers in
case the builder fails to deliver the project within the deadline.
• Tagline of the scheme: “Sapna Aapka – Bharosa SBI Ka”
• MoU: SBI and Sunteck Realty Ltd have signed an MoU to boost the residential
housing sector under the RBBG scheme.

50. Andhra Pradesh government has signed a loan agreement of Rs 711 crore with Kfw
(Germany Development bank) for expanding the Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in
AP for the 5 years.
• Subhash Palekar is the developer of this climate-resilient technique.
• To doubling farmer’s income by 2022, ZBNF was also highlighted in budget 2019.

51. Paytm has launched an all-in-one QR (Quick Response) code for merchants across India
to enable merchants to accept unlimited payments through Paytm Wallet, Rupay Cards
and all UPI directly into their bank account at 0% fee.
• Paytm has also a new service ‘Paytm Business Khata’
to allow merchants to maintain digital ledgers.
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52. For the 1st time, HDFC Bank has launched ‘myApps’ – a suite of white-label apps – for
large institution like urban local bodies, housing societies, local clubs and gymkhanas
and religious institutions.
• Purpose: to allow these companies to digitise their ecosystem.

53. World Bank has released “January 2020 Global Economic Prospects: Slow growth,
policy challenges” report, which reduces the GDP growth rate of India for FY20 to 5%.
• India’s Growth Rate for FY21: 5.8%
• Reason: weak credit distribution by NBFCs in India.
• In South-Asian region, Bangladesh will be the fastest-growing nation at 7.2%.
Year World GDP growth rate
2019 2.4%
2020 2.5%
Reason due to a slower-than-expected
recovery in trade and investment

54. For the first time, RBI has introduced video-based identification process -KYC for
allowing banks to complete KYC through video calls under the Prevention of Money-
laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005.

55. RBI and Financial Stability Development Council (FSDC) have formed a National
Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) for the period of 2019-2024.
Key Recommendations of this report:
• Banking outlets to be made available to every village within a 5 km radius/500
households in hilly areas by March 2020.
• Create a digital architecture for customer by March 2024.
• Make India a cash less society by enhancing digital payments by March 2022.
Financial Stability Development Council: The body constituted on the recommendations
of the committee, headed by Raghuram Rajan, in 2008 by government.
Chairperson of FSDC is the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

56. RBI has allowed processing of e-mandate for recurring payments through UPI (Unified
Payments Interface).
• The limit on such recurring transactions has been set at Rs 2000.

57. Central govt has increased authorized capital of Indian Overseas Bank to Rs 25,000
crores from Rs 15,000 crores.

58. PayU India has acquired PaySense (digital credit startup) for about $185 million.
• PayU will also merge its lending business Lazypay with PaySense.

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 • Prashanth Ranganathan will be the CEO of this new venture and will head PayU’s
credit business in India. He is the current founder and CEO of PaySense.

59. RBI has barred Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank (private bank in Bengaluru) from
conducting its regular operations with immediate effect for 6 months under Sections
35A and 56 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• Reason: alleged irregularities in transactions.
• Withdrawal Limit: The customers can withdraw cash up to ₹35,000 till further
notice.
About Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank:
President- K Ramakrishna

60. Sachin Bansal has acquired DHFL General Insurance from Wadhan Group Capital for
around Rs 100 crore through Bansal’s Navi Technologies Pvt Ltd company.
• Wadhan Group is the parent company of DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Corporation
Limited).

61. Despite US-Iran tension, India’s tea exports to Iran have not been affected in 2019.
• Unit price realization of teas in the Iranian market has also gone up by 12% in the
first 11 months of 2019 to Rs 275.50.

62. State Bank of India and South-Central Railways have signed an MoU to implement door
step banking in 585 railway stations.
• Under the MoU, money generated at the railway stations will be directly sent to
banks to provide real time information about cash that is deposited by different
stations.

63. Ministry of Civil Aviation has rejected the request to ease Substantial Ownership and
Effective Control (SOEC) clause and reiterated that foreign investors would not get more
than 49% of stake in Air India.
• 60% of the Indian board members and Indian Chairman, Air India’s headquarters
and the operational control will be retained by India.
• The govt has already finalized the draft Expression of Interest document for selling
its 100% stake in the airline.

64. China is exporting white non-basmati rice to majority African countries at a competitive
price (alleged to be $300-320 per tonne).

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 • India used to be the largest exporter of rice in the world and a bulk of its exports
went to African countries (at $400 per tonne).
• According to the Ministry of Commerce, India’s non-basmati exports have fallen to
35.78% during April-November 2019 against previous year’s estimates.

65. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has prohibited secured creditors from
selling assets of a company to any person restricted from participating in an insolvency
resolution plan to improve the liquidation framework w.e.f. January 6.
• Implication: It will restrict promoters from regaining control of their insolvent firms
during liquidation proceedings.
• Now, a stakeholder can also withdraw from the corporate liquidation account.
• The secured creditor has to pay excess of realized value of the asset, within 180 days
of the liquidation commencement date. When the secured creditor fails to pay the
amount to the liquidator within 90 days or 180 days, as the case may be, the asset
should become part of the Liquidation Estate.

• Section 230 of the Companies Act, Section 29A of the IBC restricts defaulters
2013 allows promoters or any class from bidding for stressed assets during the
of creditors to reach an insolvency resolution process.
arrangement with other
stakeholders to take control of the
company once it is sent for
liquidation.

66. Ministry of Finance has formed a committee to simplify GST under the chairmanship of
the revenue secretary - Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

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 • The ministry had also launched e-assessment scheme under which every document
issued, by tax department to assessees, will possess a document identification
number (DIN).

67. PhonePe has launched the ‘liquid fund’ facility for its customers, in partnership with,
Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Funds.
• Under this facility, customers can earn FD-like interests on their idle money in a
short run.
• The minimum limit to avail the benefit of this product is Rs 500.

68. India has put the import of refined palm oil from “free” to “restricted” category.
• Implication: It will impact Malaysia which used to export a large amount of refined
palm oil in India. It is considered as India’s reply to Malaysia following the criticism of
the India’s stand on J&K and Citizenship Amendment Act 2019.
• Government's has also reduced import duty on refined from 50% to 45% and on
crude palm oil from 45% to 37.5% under ASEAN agreement and India-Malaysia
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (MICECA) agreement.
• India’s is the world’s largest buyer of palm oil.
• Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of refined palm oil.
• Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil.

69. As per Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation’s data, consumer price
index inflation was 7.35% in December 2019 (highest in 7-years) against 2.18% in
December 2018.
• Wholesale Price Index inflation rose to 2.59% in December 2019 because of higher
food prices against the 3.46% in December 2018.

70. 54 technology startups have been chosen by Microsoft India for its ‘Highway to a
Hundred Unicorns’ programme to strengthen the startup ecosystem in Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala and Telangana.
• Microsoft India will work closely with local governments.

71. India has imposed anti-subsidy duty on copper wire rods from Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand and Vietnam for a period of 5 years.
• The duty imposed was in the range between 2.47% and 10.27% on the landed value
of the product in India.
• Countervailing or anti-subsidy duty is a country-specific duty which is imposed to
safeguard domestic industry against unfair trade subsidies provided by the local
governments of the exporting nations.

72. The yield of Rabi crop may increase due to winter showers.
• According to latest rabi sowing data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, wheat
acreage has risen over 11% to 32.646 million hectares, because of a rise in planting
in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

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 • The total rabi sown area has also increased to 62.5 million ha, 8% more than the last
year.
• As per the latest Central Water Commission report, 120 major reservoirs have a
cumulative storage of 130.28 billion cubic metre (BCM) of water, which is around
53% more than last year.

73. Volkswagen (headquartered in Germany) has emerged as the world’s largest

automaker in 2019 by delivering 10.97 million vehicles.

74. Yes Bank has acquired 30% stake in Reliance Power's subsidiary Rosa Power Supply
Company through pledged shares.

75. Ministry of Finance has mandated private and public banks to open a branch within 15
km radius of a village or an unbanked rural area.
• Banks are required to open around 15,000 branches by next year.
• As of March 2019, India had more than 1,20,000 branches (including 35,649
branches in the rural areas) and a little over 2 lakh ATMs.

76. Ministry of Textile has announced a special one-time additional ad hoc incentive of up
to 1% of free on board (FoB) value for exports of apparel and things made-up from
them.
• Reason: to offset the difference between the new rebate on state and central taxes
and levies (RoSTCL) and the previous rebate on state levies (RoSL) and the
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme.

77. World Bank and Indian Government have signed a $88 million loan agreement for the
implementation of Assam inland water transport project.
• Purpose: the project aims to improve the passenger ferry infrastructure that run on
rivers and inland water transport of Assam.
• Assam has the largest network of navigable waterways in India.

78. ICICI bank has launched India’s largest API (application programming interface)
Banking portal known as ‘ICICI Bank API Banking portal’ which includes 250 APIs.
• Benefit: It will improve productivity for business process for all types of firms.
• API: It is a software intermediary between two applications to allow these apps to
interact with each other.

79. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released the “Asia's Journey to Prosperity: Policy,
Market, and Technology over 50 Years” book which

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 mentions that Asia’s contribution to the global economy has risen to 24% in 2018 as
against the 4.1% in 1960.
• Poverty has been reduced from 68.1% in 1981 to 6.9% in 2015.
• Life Expectancy at birth has raised:
Gender 1960 2018
Male 44 70
Female 46 74

A) Agriculture Growth

B) Industrial Growth

80. GMR Infrastructure has announced to sell its 49% stake in GMR Airports Limited to TRIL
Urban Transport (a subsidiary of Tata Group) for about Rs 9,000 crore.

81. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Voluntary Liquidation Process)

(Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (amending 2017 rules) has been notified by the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
• Amendment 1: In a liquidation process, • Amendment 2: It also allow a
a liquidator shall deposit the amount of stakeholder to seek withdrawal from
unclaimed dividends and undistributed the Corporate Voluntary Liquidation
proceeds along with any income Account.
earned thereon into the Corporate

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 Voluntary Liquidation Account before
submitting the dissolution application
of the corporate person.

82. SEBI has proposed a cap on investment adviser fees at 2.5% of the assets under advice
or a fixed fee of Rs 75,000 per year per family.
• Also, SEBI has proposed to increase the net-worth requirement for individual
financial advisers from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh while for non-individual financial
advisers, it has been increased from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

SEBI has also proposed to

implement client segregation
norms for entities providing both
advisory and distribution services

SEBI has proposed client-level

For individual investment
segregation at a group level for
advisers, SEBI has allowed to
non-individual entities wherein
provide both investment advisory
the same client cannot be accepted
services and distribution services if
for offering both advisory and
the client level segregation norms
distribution services within the
are followed
group of the non-individual entity

83. RBI has tightened the rules for credit and debit card issuance and use to curb the rising
frauds. Norms (effective from March 2020):
• Allow only domestic card transactions at ATMs and point of sale (PoS) terminals in
India at the time of issuance or reissuance of a card.
• Offer all cardholders the facility to switch on or off and set or modify transaction
limits within the overall card limit, provided on a 24X7 basis.
• Issuers should provide cardholders the facility for enabling ‘card not present’
(domestic and international) transactions done online, ‘card present’ (international)
transactions done offline on PoS and contactless transactions done through RFID
technology.

84. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched the Vajra Platform to
make payments fast and secure.
• Benefits: It is based on blockchain technology and it automates clearing and
settlement of payments which drastically reduces the need for manual
reconciliation.

85. Amazon is planning to invest $1 billion in India and generate 1 million jobs by 2025.
• Amazon has organized a mega summit – smBhav – in New Delhi to promote small
and medium businesses.

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 • Indian e-Commerce market will reach $200 billion by 2026, according to the
National E-Commerce Policy 2019.
• Amazon India has announced to induct 10,000 e-vehicles into its delivery fleet by
2025 to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.
• Amazon CEO – Jeff Bezos; Amazon HQ – USA.

86. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020 report has been released by United
Nations which reduces India’s GDP growth rate to 5.7% for 2019-20 from 7.6% earlier.
• For 2020-21, the GDP growth rate is 6.6% (earlier 7.4% was projected).
• For 2021-22, the GDP growth rate is 6.3%.
• World GDP growth rate is 2.3% in 2019 and 2.5% in 2020.

87. World Gold Council has released the “World Gold Outlook 2020” report which assesses
gold trade between 2010 and 2019.
About the World
• Gold trade has increased by 18.4% in
terms of US dollars in 2019 as
compared to 2010.
• Uzbekistan (16.6 tonnes) and
Venezuela (30.3 tonnes) were among
the large gold sellers in 2019.
About India
• India ranks at 6th in the world in buying
gold in 2019 with 25.2 tonnes
purchases in the first 10 months of
2019.
• China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and
Poland bought more gold than India.
• According to the WGC, RBI currently
holds 625.2 tonnes of gold (which is
6.6% of the India’s foreign exchange).

88. Flipkart CTO Ravi Garikipati has launched a financial services and micro-credit startup -
Davinta - along with entrepreneur Raj Vattikuti.

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 • Davinta already has the NBFC license with disbursed loans of Rs 50 crore.

89. SEBI has announced new norms for rewarding the whistle blowers which are:
• Under the new framework, identity of the informant would be protected and it
would be mandatory to disclose the source of information.
• Reward would be given in case the information provided by whistle blowers leads
to a disgorgement of at least ₹1 crore under the PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading)
Regulation.
• Further, SEBI has established an independent Office of Informant Protection for
receiving and processing the Voluntarily Information Disclosure Form.

90. SEBI has mandated to use minor’s account or a joint account of a minor in case of the
mutual fund investments are done by minors.
• Once the minor attains the status of a major, the individual will have to provide the
complete KYC details of the updated bank account and no transactions will be
allowed till the status of the minor is changed to major.
• SEBI has also proposed to stop the usage of pool accounts for mutual fund
transactions.
Extra Fact:
The proposal stems from the recent issue of Karvy Stock Broking wherein it was alleged
that the broking firm had pledged client securities to raise funds from banks and non-
banking financial companies.
Note: Do read about the Karvy Stock Broking fraud in detail.

91. United Nations has declined its GDP forecast for India from what is mentioned in the its
World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020.
Year GDP forecast Now GDP forecast in WESP 2020
FY 20 (2019-20) 5% 5.7%
FY21 (2020-21) 5.8%-5.9% 6.6%
Per capita income rise in 4% 4%
2020
• As per China’s figures, the growth rate of China in 2019 was 6.1% (which is lowest in
29 years).

92. International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update
2020, has reduced India’s GDP forecast for 2019 due to a sharper-than-expected
slowdown in local demand and stress in the NBFCs.

• China GDP growth rate for 2019 is 6.1% and for 2020 it is 6% growth.
• Title of WEO 2020: Tentative Stabilization, Sluggish Recovery?

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93. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), India’s sovereign wealth fund, has
announced to launch Aseem Infrastructure Finance Limited – the new NBFC-IFC
(Infrastructure Finance Company) – of its own.
• It is expected to get RBI approval before March this year.

94. Zomato has acquired Uber Eats in an all-stock transaction. After the deal, Uber will get
10% shareholding in Zomato.
• Zomato HQ – Gurgaon, India; Zomato Founder & CEO – Deepinder Goyal.
• Uber HQ – USA, Uber CEO – Dara Khosrowshahi

95. Indian Oil Corporation has decided to import 2 million tonnes of crude oil annually from
Rosneft (Russian company).
• Purpose: to cut India’s dependence for oil supply on conflict-prone Middle East.

96. National Insurance Company Ltd has approved its merger with Oriental Insurance
Company Ltd and United India Insurance Company Ltd.
• The govt seeks the merger of four PSU general insurance companies including the
New India Assurance Co.
National Insurance Oriental Insurance United India Insurance
Company Ltd’s CMD Company Ltd’s CMD Company Ltd.’s CMD
Ms Tajinder Mukherjee A. V. Girija Kumar Girish Radhakrishnan

97. Directorate General of Civil Aviation has announced that domestic air passenger traffic
has grown by 3.74% to 14.41 crore in 2019 as compared to 2018.

98. According to the Global Investment Trend Monitor report released by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India received $49 billion
FDI inflow in 2019 which is a 16% increase from the
previous year.
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 • The majority of FDI inflow in India went into services industries, including IT.
• Global FDI remained flat in 2019 at $1.39 trillion, a 1% decline from a revised $1.41
trillion in 2018.
• South Asia recorded a 10% increase in FDI to $60 billion, majorly driven by India.
• For developing economies, FDI flows remained unchanged at an estimated $695
billion.
• Cross-border Merger & Acquisition has declined by 40% in 2019 to $490 billion
(lowest since 2014) with the deepest fall in the services sector which declined 56%
to $207 billion.

99. Supreme Court has approved the transfer of administration of Unitech (real estate
company) to the government and also approved the appointment of 7 board of
directors.
• Yudvir Singh Malik will be the CMD of Unitech.

100. RBI has accepted the request of Vodafone M-pesa Ltd (a payment system operator)
for cancellation of its Certificate of Authorisation.
• Vodafone M-pesa Ltd got its certificate in 2015.
• Vodafone M-pesa CEO - Sunil Sood

101. National Startup Advisory Council has been set up to advise the Government on
measures needed to nurture startups in India to generate large scale employment
opportunities and drive sustainable economic growth.
• Minster for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, will be the Chairman of the
National Startup Advisory Council.
• The Council will also have non-official members, to be nominated by Central
Government, for a term of 2 years.
• Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade will be the Convener of the Council.
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Functions of the Council:
make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses
by reducing regulatory compliances

promote ease of access to capital for startups

and provide access to global markets for
Indian startups
incentivize domestic capital for
investments into startups and
mobilize global capital for
investments in Indian startups

keep control of
startups with original
promoters

102. Department of Telecommunication has approved the FDI limit in Bharti Airtel to
100% from 49% earlier to help the company raise foreign money.
• Currently, foreign ownership in Bharti Airtel is 44.28%.

103. According to Nielsen, FMCG industry is expected to grow at 9-10% in 2020 in terms
of value growth.
• Foe 2020, the outlook is stable.
• FMCG sector’s value growth was 9.2% in 2019 according to the “India FMCG Growth
Snapshot report” by Nielsen. However, With the inclusion of the e-commerce
channel, the overall sector value growth has would be higher at 9.7% for 2019.

104. Multi-Lateral Agreement (MLI) between India and Singapore was ratified in
December 2019 and its provisions will come into force from April 1, 2020.
• MLI is an international tax law which has strict tax anti-avoidance rules under the
aegis of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
• As per the MLI, an entity can be declined treaty tax benefits if one of the reasons for
choosing a jurisdiction is tax benefit.
• India has already implement the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) in 2017 to
curb tax avoidance.
• Currently, 87 countries are signatories to the MLI.

100
105. ICICI Bank has launched the Cardless cash withdrawal facility from its ATMs for up
to Rs 20,000 per day by using bank’s mobile app - ‘iMobile’.

106. State-run NBCC (India) has been chosen by the Committee of Creditors to acquire
the debt-hit realty developer Jaypee Infratech.

107. Ind-Ra has projected India’s GDP growth rate for FY21 (2020-21) to be at 5.5%.
• Fiscal deficit for FY20 is expected to be 3.6% of GDP (budgeted 3.3%) due to
shortfall in the tax and non-tax revenue.
• India’s exports of goods and services will witness negative growth of 2% in FY20.
• Retail and wholesale inflation to be at 3.9% and 1.3%, respectively, in FY21 (FY20:
4.4% and 1.4%).

108. SEBI has reduced timeline for serving the advance notice to stock exchange for rights
issues from 7 days to 3 days (excluding the date of intimation and the record date).
• It has been done under the Regulation 42(2) of SEBI’s Listing Obligations and
Disclosure Requirements 2015.
• SEBI has also introduced the dematerialised Rights Entitlements to facilitate transfer
of such entitlements to the demat account of eligible shareholders.

109. 1st edition of the Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2020 has been released by
Julius Baer (Switzerland’s private bank) which ranked world’s 28 most expensive cities
for luxury living.
• Asia is the most expensive region and home to the world’s top three most costly
cities (Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo) and the least expensive (Mumbai in 28th
place).
• The Americas is ranked 2nd overall, led by New York (4th globally) while Vancouver
lays claim to the most affordable city within the region (21st).
• Parameters of ranking – 20 items such as home, experiential, fashion, family and
wellness.

110. EXIM bank has given Line of Credit of $35.80 million to Suriname (South American
country) to finance Suriname’s rural electrification programme.

111. IRDAI has approved ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company to try 5 apps under
the IRDAI’s Sandbox Project in its health and motor portfolio.
• This is the largest approval by IRDAI in terms of numbers given to a company under
the project.

112. Apollo Hospitals Group and Bajaj Finserv have jointly launched the digitized “Health
EMI Card” with a credit limit of Rs.4 Lakhs and personal accident insurance cover of Rs. 1
lakh.
• It will be accepted in all the Apollo hospitals in India.

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113. Bharti Airtel has partnered with Google Cloud to offer Google’s G Suite services to
small and medium-sized businesses in India (especially Airtel’s customers).

114. Reliance Jio has become the first telecom operator in India to launch UPI payments
service.

115. Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd (NBFC of Adani group) has acquired Essel Finance’s MSME
loan business.
• Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd secured a loan book of about Rs 145 crore with this
acquisition.

116. RBI has reopened the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) for debt investments by
foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).
• New investment limit under VRR has been increased to ₹1.5 lakh crore from
₹75,000 crore with a minimum retention period of 3 years.
• Earlier, the short- term investments by an FPI could not exceed 20% of the total
investment of that FPI. Now, this limit has been raised to 30%.
• RBI had launched the VRR in 2019 to allow FPIs to invest in debt markets in India.

117. City Union Bank has, for the first time in India, launched a multilingual voice-
enabled mobile banking application.
• The app also has a chat–bot named ‘Ask Lakshmi’ which speaks in Tamil, English,
Hindi and Telugu language.
About City Union Bank:
Headquarters – Tamil Nadu
MD and CEO – Dr. N. Kamakodi

118. Western Union Company has partnered with Airtel Payments Bank and Airtel Africa
Plc to allow Airtel Payments Bank’s customers in India and Airtel Africa’s customers in
Africa to receive remittances in their bank accounts and payment wallets directly.
• Western Union Company facilitates cross-border payments.
About Western Union Company:
Headquarters– USA
President and CEO – Hikmet Ersek

119. India, Maharashtra govt and World Bank have signed a loan agreement of $210
million for developing agri-business and rural areas in Maharashtra.

120. IndusInd Bank Ltd has launched the “PIONEER’ Banking – an asset management
platform for high net-worth customers of IndusInd bank.
IndusInd Bank Ltd:
Headquarters – Maharashtra
MD and CEO – Romesh Sobti

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121. RBI has conducted a pilot survey on of 1,246 Indian startups during November 2018
to April 2019. Around 3/4th of respondents were from the states of Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
• Around 36% of the respondent startups availed institutional loans (including from
banks) to finance their activities.

122. According to RBI’s data, about 972 cases of fraud cases worth Rs 220 crores have
been recorded by the urban cooperative banks (UCBs) in the last 5 fiscal years (2014-15
and 2018-19).
• The highest number of frauds at 478 were recorded in 2014-15, causing loss of Rs
19.8 crore to the UCBs.
• In 2018-19, 181 cases of frauds worth Rs 127.7 crore were recorded.
• A total of 1,544 UCBs were present in India as of March 31, 2019.

123. Bombay Stock Exchange has signed a licensing agreement with the Intercontinental
Exchange (ICE) Futures Europe – a global exchanges and clearing houses operator.
• This licensing agreement will help Indian market participants access rupee-
denominated Brent benchmark prices and deepen the Indian commodity markets by
providing convenient and cost-effective onshore hedging products.
• The agreement will enable price discovery of Brent crude prices in the Indian time
zone.
Meaning of ICE Brent Index:
ICE Brent Index is a specified benchmark in cash settlement price regulated by ICE Futures
Europe under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

124. PhonePe has partnered with Bajaj Allianz to enter into the insurance business, as
part of its efforts of becoming an all-round financial service provider.

125. A report from Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) shows that expenditure on digital ads by
Indian companies has risen by 26% in 2019.
• In 2020, the digital advertising will grow by 27%.

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126. SEBI had appointed a panel under the chairmanship of Ramesh Srinivasan (MD and
CEO of Kotak Mahindra Capital Company) to strengthen the monitoring and
enforcement of norms pertaining to related party transactions.
Recommendations:
A) Definition: Related party should be any person or entity belonging to the promoter or
promoter group of the listed entity.
o Besides, any person or any entity, directly or indirectly (including with their
relatives), holding 20% or more in a listed company should also be considered as
related party.
B) Approval: the panel recommended that prior approval of the audit committee of a
listed entity is mandatory for transactions carried out between the company (or any
of its subsidiaries) with a related party.
C) Materiality threshold: New threshold limit is Rs 1,000 crore or 5% of the annual total
revenues or net worth of the company on a consolidated basis, whichever is lower.
o Net worth criterion should not apply to companies with negative net worth.
D) Definition of Related party transaction (RPT): RPT means a transaction involving a
transfer of resources, services between the listed entity and a related party of the
listed entity.
o Also, the transaction between listed entity (or its subsidiaries) and any other entity
which is aimed to benefit a related party should be considered as a RPT.
E) What is not an RPT – the issue of securities on a preferential basis or payment of
dividend, and rights issue should not be treated as RPTs.
F) Related Party Transactions relating to subsidiaries of the listed entity should require
prior approval of the audit committee, if their value exceeds 10% of the total
revenues or net worth of the subsidiary, whichever is lower.
Note: - Public comments have been sought by SEBI on the recommendations. So, these
recommendations might change in the future.

127. Rice shipments from India slipped by more than a quarter to 5.5 million tonnes
between April and November 2019 from 7.5 million tonnes in April and November 2018.
• Exports, in terms of value, has dropped by 19% to $3.8 billion from $4.7 billion
during April and November 2018.
• In 2018-19, total exports of rice were $7.75 billion in terms of foreign exchange
earnings.
• Out of the total 4.4 million tonne rice shipped by India in 2018-19, 1.4 million tonnes
was shipped to Iran.

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128. According to the World Steel Association’s data, India's crude steel production has
increased by 1.8% to 111.2 million tonnes (MT) in 2019 against (109.3 MT in 2018).
• Global crude steel production increased by 3.4% at 1,869.9 MT in 2019.
• Asia produced 1,341.6 MT (an increase of 5.7%) of crude steel in 2019.
• In 2019, China's production rose by 8.3% was at 996.3 MT. China contributed 53.3%
in the global crude steel production (up from 50.9% in 2018).
World Steel Association:
Founded in – 1967
Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium
Members – Companies are the members of this
organization. Members represent around 85% of
global steel production.
President – YU Yong (Chairman)

129. NABARD has released the State Focus Paper for Odisha which estimates Odisha’s
credit potential to be more than Rs 90,000 crore (exact amount - Rs 90,395.69 cr) –
showing a 20% increase from last year – for 2020-21.
• Out of the total credit potential, agriculture and allied sector (under priority sector)
demands over Rs 40,000 crore (exact amount - Rs 43,282.11 crore).
• Credit potential for MSME sector will be more than Rs 30,000 crore (exact amount -
Rs 30,457.99 crore), constituting 33.69% of the total priority sector.
• Other sectors (including export credit, education, housing, renewable energy and
social infrastructure) have 18.43% share in the under priority sector.

130. The import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has increased 6.8% (to be at 23.58 billion
cubic meters) on a year-on-year basis during April-December 2019 as the domestic
production of LNG declined and demand rose.
• Gross production of LNG declined by 3.2% and total consumption rose 3.9%.
• The share of LNG in total domestic consumption expanded to 51.6% during this
period from 47.9% in the year-ago period.
• During April-December, ONGC’s gas output fell 2.7% from a year earlier but Oil
India’s rose 0.8%. Private players’ production fell 7.6%.
• Qatar is India’s biggest supplier of LNG.

131. Ashok Leyland and ABB Power Products and Systems India Ltd. have signed an MoU
to develop electric buses using the latter’s flash charge

105
 technology called ‘TOSA’ (Trolleybus Optimisation System Alimentation).

132. FICCI has reduced its GDP growth rate at 5% for FY20 in its “Economic Outlook
Survey 2020”.
• For 2020-21 - 5.5%
• For last December quarter of FY20 - 4.7%

133. 7th Economic Census of FY20 has been presented by Minister of Finance in the
Parliament on the theme of “Wealth Creation, Promotion of pro-business policies,
strengthening of trust in the economy”.
• GDP growth rate for 2020-21 is in the range of
6-6.5%
• Industrial growth rate for 2019-20 is 2.5%
• Agriculture at 2.8%

134. Google has launched the Tangi app which is a short-video app similar to Tik Tok.
• Google has also announced to grant $1 million to India to promote news literacy
among Indians to curb spread of fake news.

135. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) observed its 125th birth anniversary on the
theme of ‘CII@125: Business and Beyond’.
• To celebrate CII’s anniversary, Tamil Nadu has announced to launch “Direct CTO -
Consent To Operate - Scheme for Green Industries” to ease the process of obtaining
clearances for green industries.
• CII’s theme for 2019-20 is 'Competitiveness of India Inc - India@75: Forging Ahead'.

136. International Finance Corporation (IFC) and South Korea’s KB Financial Group are
set to buy minority stakes in PNB Housing Finance.

137. Government has announced to give 4% subsidy on exports of mobiles under the
Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) 2015.
• On the other hand, government has removed the incentives given on apparels.

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 APPOINTMENTS

1. Vinod Kumar Yadav has got a 1 year extension as the chairman of Railway board.

2. S Sundar has been appointed as the interim MD and CEO of Lakshmi Vilas Bank.
• He has also appointed as the additional director of the bank.

3. Suresh Chandra Sharma (AIIMS- Delhi professor) has been appointed as the first
Chairman of National Medical Commission (NMC).
• NMC has been established in accordance with the National Medical Commission Bill
2019.
Note: - NMC Bill has been covered in detail in the July Spotlight (National News section >>
news number 196)

4. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been appointed as the first female Chancellor of the
Queen’s University (located in Belfast, UK).
• Clinton is the 11th Chancellor of the University.

5. Pranab K. Das has taken over as the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and
Customs.

6. Pedro Sanchez has been elected as the PM of Spain.

7. Grey Group (headquartered in New York) has appointed Anusha Shetty as its
Chairperson and group CEO.
• Sandipan Bhattacharyya (currently CEO) has been appointed as MD in addition to
his current role.

8. IBM (tech company) has appointed Sandip Patel as new MD for IBM India and South
Asia.
• Brenda Harvey has been appointed as the CEO of IBM’s Asia Pacific unit.

9. A Sakthivel has been appointed as the chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council
of India (AEPC) for 2020-21.

10. M Nagaraj has been appointed as the CMD of Housing and Urban Development
Corporation for a period of 3 months.

11. Chandra Pal Singh Yadav (Rajya Sabha MP) has been reappointed as the Chairman as
the Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO).

12. Dr Bipul Bihari Saha has been elected as a bureau member of International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for 2020-23.

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 About IUPAC:
Founded in 1919, the agency of IUPAC names all new elements and compounds, declare
atomic weights and physical constants, update Periodic Table and carry out research
projects.
Headquarters- USA
President- Qi-Feng Zhou

13. Tsai Ing-wen has been elected as the President of Taiwan for a second consecutive
term.

14. Mikhail Mishustin has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Russia.
• President: Vladimir Putin

15. Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has been appointed as the new ruler of Oman.
• India observed one day of state mourning on the death of Omani king Qaboos bin
Said al Said.

16. A P Maheshwari has been appointed as the Director General of the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF).
• CRPF is the world’s largest paramilitary forces with more than 3.25 lakh personnel.

17. Lt General Girish Kumar has been reappointed as the Surveyor General of India for 1
year in the Survey of India.
About Survey of India:
Function: surveying and mapping the country
Operated by: Ministry of Science and Technology
18. Ahmed Mazhari has been appointed as the head of Microsoft’s Asia business.

19. Jaideep Nandi has been appointed as the CEO of Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd.

20. Sunil A. D'Souza has been appointed as the MD and CEO of Tata Global Beverages.

21. Vikas Agnihotri has been appointed as the first operating partner of SoftBank (Japanese
investment major) in India.
• SoftBank’s India investment are led by Sumer Juneja.
• Manoj Kohli has been appointed as the India’s head of the SoftBank group (HQ-
Japan).
• Founder and CEO of Softbank - Masayoshi Son.

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22. Supreme Court bench, headed by SA Bobde, has appointed Justice A M Sapre as the
chairman of its committee on road safety.
• The panel's current head, Justice K S P Radhakrishnan, has expressed difficulty in
continuing in that position.

23. Queen Elizabeth II has appointed Harish Salve as the Queen’s Counsel for courts of
England and Wales.
• Salve is presently the a Barrister with a legal firm- Blackstone Chambers.
• Salve is famous for Kulbhushan Jadhav extradition case and Hyderabad Nizam case.

24. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has been re-elected as the President of Afghanistan.

25. Arjun Munda (Minister of Tribal Affairs) has become the President of Archery
Association of India (AAI) for 4 years.
• Secretary General of AAI- Pramod Chandurkar.

26. Jagat Prakash Nadda has been elected as the 11th president of the Bharatiya Janata
Party taking the position from Amit Shah.

27. Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu have been appointed as the Joint Secretaries in the
newly created Department of Military Affairs.
• Challa Sreenivasulu Setty was appointed as the MD of State Bank of India.
• Sanjiv Chadha has been appointed as the MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda.
• Lingam Venkata Prabhakar has been appointed as the MD & CEO of Canara Bank.
• Atanu Kumar Das has been appointed as the MD & CEO of the Bank of India.

28. Punit Sood has been appointed as the Head of RBS India by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
About RBS:
Headquarters: UK
CEO: Alison Rose
Chairman: Howard Davies

29. Nripendra Misra has been appointed as the Chairperson of the executive council of
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML).
• PM Narendra Modi is the President of the NMML Society and Defence Minister
Rajanth Singh is the Vice-President.

30. Sunil Mehta (former MD and CEO of PNB) has been appointed as CEO of the Indian
Banks’ Association (IBA) for 3 years.

109
 • Currently, Rajnish Kumar (Chairman of SBI) is the Chairman of IBA for the year 2019-
20.
• IBA headquarters – Mumbai

31. Anil Khanna has been appointed as Life President of Asian Tennis Federation (ATF).
• Khanna has also been appointed as the Chairman of the ATF Finance Committee.

32. Katerina Sakellaropoulou has become the first Woman President of Greece.
• Current President of Greece – Prokopis Pavlopoulos

33. Joao Vale de Almeida has been appointed as the first ambassador of European Union
to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
• European Union Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium

34. Sunil Arora (India’s Chief Election Commissioner) has been appointed as the Chairman
of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year
2020 during the 10th annual meeting of FEMBoSA held in New Delhi.
• India has also renewed its MoU with Afghanistan for strengthening institutional
capacity in the field of election management.
About FEMBoSA:
Þ FEMBoSA, established in 2012, is the election management body of SAARC
countries.
Þ It has 8 members.

35. Sebastian Kurz (33 years old) has been appointed as the chancellor of Austria.
• He has become the youngest leader in the world.

36. Ramesh Joshi has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of Vakrangee Ltd on
the recommendations of Kotak committee and SEBI’s revised Listing Obligations and
Disclosure Regulations, 2015.
• The committee on Corporate Governance was formed in 2017 to separate MD and
CEO posts in listed companies.

110
37. Alastair Cook (cricketer of England) and Ricky Skerritt (team manager of West Indies)
have been appointed as members of MCC’s (Marylebone Cricket Club) World Cricket
Committee.
• MCC World Cricket Committee meeting will take place in Sri Lanka in March 2020.
• ICC World Test Championship and the MCC County Championship Match will also
take place in Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium in March 2020.
• MCC Headquarters – London

38. Harsh Vardhan Shringla has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary in Ministry of
External Affairs.

39. RBI has appointed Janak Raj as member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
• MPC (formed in 2016) has six members. Of the six members, three are nominated
by govt, while the remaining three are from RBI (including the governor).
• MPC is headed by the RBI governor.
• Janak Raj has also been appointed as the Executive Director of RBI.

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 IMPORTANT DAYS

1. WHO has designated 2020 as International Year of Nurse and Midwife to

commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale (founder of modern
nursing).
• WHO has announced to release the first ever State of the World’s Nursing report
along with the State of the World’s Midwifery 2020 report during the 73rd session of
its World Health Assembly. [venue or date of the Assembly have not been disclosed
yet.]
• WHO has collaborated with 3 year Nursing Now!’ Campaign (2018–2020) to achieve
Universal Health Coverage by improving the status of nursing.
• According to WHO data, 9 million more nurses and midwives are required globally
to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

2. World Braille Day is observed on January 4 by UN in remembrance of Louis Braille.

3. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has announced to observe 2020 as the “Year of
Mobility” for the welfare of troops.
• Purpose: to construct residential units and implement welfare measures for the
troops of CISF and their families.

4. Maharashtra Government observes January 6 as “Journalists’ Day” of the state every

year to commemorate journalist Late Balshastri Jambhekar.
• Jambhekar is also known as the ‘The Father of Marathi Journalism’.
• He published the first Marathi newspaper ‘Darpan’ in 1832.

5. World Hindi Day is observed on January 10.

• For the first time, the World Hindi Conference was held in 1975 in Nagpur to
promote Hindi worldwide.
• Indian embassy in Nepal has launched four books on this day.
• A special issue of ‘Sahityalok’ (research journal) of Tribhuvan University of Nepal
was also launched.
Nepali translation of Nepali translated Hindi translations of ‘Utkrishta Kahaniyan’,
Swami Vivekananda’s book of 5 stories ‘Ashwathama’ written (published by Unicorn
‘Karma Yoga‘ written by Premchand by Madhav Prasad Books) having 25
(Indian writer) Ghimire (Nepalese stories
poet)

6. National Youth Day is observed on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (2020 is
157th birth anniversary) on January 12 every year.
• Theme of the day: “Channelizing Youth Power for Nation Building”.
• 23rd edition of the National Youth Festival 2020 will be held in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh by the govt. The festival is being organized since 1995.
• Organizers of the festival: Ministry of youth Affairs and
UP State Government.
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 • Theme of the festival: Fit Youth Fit India

7. 4th Armed Forces Veterans Day (also known as Armistice Day) is annually observed on
January 14 since 2017 to honour the martyrs of Indian army.
• Reason: on this day, the first Commander-in-chief of Indian Armed Forces - Field
Marshal KM Cariappa got retired.

8. Indian Meteorological Department observed its 145th Foundation Day on January 15,
2020. It was begun in 1875.

9. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (also called Non-Resident Indian day) is observed on January 9,
2020 to recognize NRIs who have contributed to the development of India.
• Mahatma Gandhi came to India on January 9, 1915.

10. India observed its 72nd Army Day on January 15 to honour the sacrifices of the soldiers
for the country.

11. "National Road Safety Week" is observed from 11 to 17 January 2020 across the
country on the theme of "Bringing Change Through Youth".
• Department of Rural Development organized a workshop on ‘Road Safety’ with
State Governments aimed to reduce road accidents and boost road safety.

12. National Immunization Day 2020 was observed on January 19 as a part of Pulse Polio
Programme 2020. Polio was eradicated by India in 2014.

13. Tripura has observed its statehood day on January 21.

• On this day in 1972, three states – Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura – became full-
fledged states under North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.

14. 123rd birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose is observed on January 23.
• Central govt is constructing a temple named after Bose in Varanasi, with a Dalit
woman as a chief priest.
• The temple will be coloured in red (symbol of revolution), black (symbol of strength)
and white (symbol of peace) and the prayers will be offered to Bharat Mata at the
temple to promote patriotism.

15. Ministry of Women and Child Development has been celebrating the National Girl
Child Day on January 24 since 2008.
• International Day of Girl Child is observed on October 11.
• Madhya Pradesh celebrated the National Girl Child Day on 24 January on the theme
of “Aware girl child: Able Madhya Pradesh" (Jagruk Balika-Samarth Madhya
Pradesh) under the "Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao" scheme.
• MP govt will also celebrate the National Girl Child Week from 24 to 30 January.

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16. National Voters Day is observed on January 25 since 2011 to mark Election Commission
of India’s (ECI) foundation day.
• ECI was established on 25 January 1950 under the Article 324 of the Constitution
and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• Theme – ‘Electoral Literacy for a Stronger Democracy.’

17. 2nd International Day of Education was observed on 24 January 2020 (started in 2018).
• Theme: ‘Learning for people, planet, prosperity, and peace’.
• UNESCO and Centre for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI) in Paris have
organized the celebrations for this day.

18. International Customs Day is observed on January 26 by World Customs Organization

(WCO).
• Theme: “Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet”.
• On this day in 1952, the Customs Co-operation Council (aka World Customs
Organization) was formed.
About World Customs Organization:
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
Members: 183
Secretary General: Dr Kunio Mikuriya
19. International Holocaust Remembrance Day (or International Day to Commemorate
Victims of Holocaust) is observed on January 27 by UN.
• 2020 is the 75th year of World War II end and liberation of Auschwitz (the largest
Nazi concentration camp).
• Theme: “75 years after Auschwitz- Holocaust Education & Remembrance for Global
Justice”.

20. For the first time, World Neglected Tropical Diseases day will be observed on January
30, 2020 to create awareness about the tropical diseases.
• The day has been instituted by Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, which also funded
the launch.
• According to WHO, NTD affect more than 149 countries, located particularly in Asia,
Africa and America.

21. World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday of January every year. It was
celebrated on January 26, 2020.
• Theme: “Leprosy isn’t what you think”
• In India, it is observed on January 30 to commemorate the death of Mahatma
Gandhi.
• Leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) is a skin disease causing discoloration and
lumps on the skin.

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 AWARDS

1. United Nations Medal has been conferred upon Indian peacekeepers for their
dedication and sacrifice towards UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
• India has been the largest troop contributor to UN missions since its inception.
• So far, India has participated in 49 Peacekeeping missions with a total contribution
exceeding 2.45 lakh troops.

2. Malavath Poorna (18 years) has become the first and youngest tribal woman in the
world to climb 6 highest peaks of the 6 continents.
• Mt Vinson Massif (highest mountain peak) in Antarctica at 4,892 meters was her
latest summit.
• She belongs to Pakala tribal hamlet in Telangana.
• Poorna aims to summit Mt. Denali in North America to complete her summit on 7
highest peaks of 7 continents.

3. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis has constituted a new prize – Earthshot Prize – to
award the people working for solving the Earth’s greatest environmental problems.
• The award will be annually conferred upon 5 people for the next 10 years.
• Purpose: to find at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.
• In 2020, the initiative will have a series of “Earthshot challenges” to find answers to
climate issues.

4. For a 4th time in a row, Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese footballer) has received the Best
Men’s Player of the Year award at 11th Dubai Globe Soccer Awards 2019 held in Dubai,
UAE.
• Lucy Bronze (England footballer) has been awarded with the best women’s player of
the year.
• The award was given in 15 categories.

5. India has honoured Sucheta Satish (aged 13) with the ‘100 Global Child Prodigy Award
2020ʹ in the category of singing.
• She is a Dubai based Indian girl who can sing in 120 languages.

6. For the first time, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will confer “Antar-rashtriya
Yoga Diwas Media Samman” to 30 media houses to recognize their role in spreading
awareness about Yoga.
• Categories of the awards: Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Television (8 awards), Best
Media Coverage of yoga in Radio (11 awards), Best Media Coverage of Yoga in
Newspapers (11 awards).

7. 77th Golden Globe Awards 2019, given to films and TV, was organized by Hollywood
Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in USA.
• In television, Fleabag, Succession, and Chernobyl won
most awards.
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 Category Winners
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (film)
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actor Brad Pitt for “Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood”
Best Director Quentin Tarantino for “Once Upon a Time
in Hollywood”
Cecil B. DeMille Award Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (also known as Tom
Hanks)
Carol Burnett Award (for television) Ellen Lee DeGeneres
Golden Globe Ambassadors 2019 Dylan Brosnan and Paris Brosnan
Best Motion Picture – Drama 1917
Best Actor – Drama Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker”
Best Actress – Drama Renée Zellweger for “Judy”
Best Director Sam Mendes for “1917”

8. ‘20 people to watch in 2020s’ list of Forbes India has been released:
Rank Political commentators
1 Hasan Minhaj (comedian and political commentator)
2 Aditya Mittal (CFO and CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe)
3 Peter Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, USA)
4 Gotabaya Rajapaksa (President, Sri Lanka)
12 Kanhaiya Kumar (Politician, Communist Party of India)
15 Greta Thunberg (environmentalist)
16 Prashant Kishor (politician, Janta Dal United)

9. ‘Asha and the Spirit Bird’ – debut novel of Jasbinder Bilan (UK resident) – has won the
Costa Children’s Award 2019 (UK children’s book award).

10. First edition of Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence has been
given during the 10th anniversary of Muppavarapu Foundation.
• Awardees – Dr. Gutta Muniratnam and Dr. MS Swaminathan (Agricultural Scientist)
have won the National Award for Excellence in Social Service.
• The award carries a prize money of Rs 5 lakhs and a citation.
• Swaminathan is also known as “Father of Green Revolution” in India.

11. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its annual awards in 25
categories for the 2018-19.
S.No. Category Winner
1. Col. CK. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award (given for Krishnamachari
for contribution to Indian cricket) Srikkanth

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 2. BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award For Women (given for Anjum Chopra
finest on-field performances)

3. BCCI Special Award Dilip Doshi

4. Polly Umrigar Award Best International Cricketer Jasprit Bumrah
AND
Dilip Sardesai Award for the highest wicket-taker in Tests

5. Best International Cricketer (Women) Poonam Yadav

6. Best International Debut (Men) Mayank Agarwal
7. Best International Debut (Women) Shafali Verma
8. Best Umpire In Domestic Cricket in 2018-19 Virender Sharma

Note: - Only important categories have been taken here.

12. Ishwar Sharma (aged 10) has won the Global Child Prodigy Award 2020 for his
achievements in spiritual discipline yoga.
• Global Prodigy Award is given by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Foundation.
• Ananya Rajaraman (Bengaluru Girl) has won 100 Global Child Prodigy Award 2020
for her writing.

13. Ministry of Jal Shakti has organised the Open Defecation Free (ODF) sustainability
workshop in New Delhi where the Swachhata awards to the best performing districts
were distributed.
• Recently, Sindoda Panchayat of Indore was declared as the first plastic-free area in
the Madhya Pradesh.
Category Winners
Swachhata Darpan Awards (10 districts)
Award for plastic waste management (4 Dibrugarh (Assam), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Indore
districts) (Madhya Pradesh) and Puri (Odisha)

14. Dr Sakya Singha Sen (Indian Scientist) and his team has won the Merck Young Scientist
Awards 2019 for their innovations in chemistry.
• Other Awardees – Debojyoti Chakraborty, Dipyaman Ganguly, Siddhesh S Kamat,
Mahendran KR, Basker Sundararaju.
• The award is given in chemical sciences to the researchers with less than 10 years of
experience.

15. Sachin Tendulkar has been included in the Laureas’s list of the most inspiring sporting
personality in the last twenty years.

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 • Besides Tendulkar, Andrew Flintoff (England) is the only other cricketer in the list.

16. Jasmin “Jaws” Moghbeli has become the first Iranian- American astronaut.
• She earned her fierce nickname during her time as a decorated helicopter gunship
pilot who flew more than 150 missions in Afghanistan.

17. Vasdev Mohi (Sindhi writer) will be given Saraswati Samman for 2019 by the Krishna
Kumar (KK) Birla Foundation for his short stories collection- ‘Chequebook’.
• KK Birla Foundation also gives Vyas Samman (for Hindi works) and Bihari Puraskar
(for Hindi/Rajasthani works by Rajasthani writers).

18. 17th Crossword Book Awards winners:

Category Winner Books
Biography Krishna Trilok Notes of a Dream: The Authorized
Biography of AR Rahman

Popular Fiction Twinkle Khanna Pyjamas Are Forgiving

Award

Popular Children’s Sudha Murthy The Upside-Down King: Unusual

book award Tales About Rama and Krishna

Non-fiction award Shanta Gokhale One Foot on the Ground: A Life

Told Through the Body

Fiction award Madhuri Vijay The Far Field

Children’s book Richa Jha and Machher Jhol: Fish Curry

award Sumanta Dey

Indian language Jayasree Kalathil Diary of a Malayali Madman

translation (translator) and N
Prabhakaran
Popular business Anju Sharma Corporate Monk
and management
award

19. Suman Kalyanpur (singer) will be conferred with the 2017 National Lata Mangeshkar
Award by Madhya Pradesh govt.
• Kuldeep Singh (music composer) has been chosen for the 2018 National Lata
Mangeshkar Award by the Madhya Pradesh govt.
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 • MP govt has instituted this award to honour Lata Mangeshkar (who was born in
MP).

20. Kerala State Sports Council has announced the GV Raja award (highest sports honour of
Kerala):
Category Winner
GV Raja award (Male) Mohammad Anas
GV Raja award (female) PC Thulasi
Olympian Suresh Babu lifetime T P Ouseph (Athletics coach)
achievement award
Best sports trainer for 2018-19 Satheevan Balan

21. Computer Society of India and Special Interest Group on e-Governance have presented
the Award of Excellence for 2019 to two applications developed by the Election
Commission of India – ‘cVIGIL’ and ‘Voter Helpline App’.
• cVIGIL helps in reporting violations of Model Code of Conduct during elections
while Voter Helpline App helps voters to get information.

22. The Order of Australia honour (highest civilian honour of Australia) has been conferred
upon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (founder and chairperson of Biocon) for her contributions
towards advancing Australia and India’s relationship.
• She has also been appointed as an honorary member in the general division of the
Order of Australia.
• She is the 4th Indian citizen to be awarded Australia’s highest civilian honour.

23. Priya Prakash (founder and CEO of HealthSetGo) has won the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco
Youth Leadership Award 2019 for her school health program that provides healthcare
support to children.
• Cisco Youth Leadership Award is given by Cisco company and Global Citizen
organization.

24. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has won the "Champion of Change Award-2019" for his
service in the Barhait and Dumka assembly constituencies in the state.
• Former president Pranab Mukherjee presented this award to him.
Other Awardees of this award:
Manish Shisodia (Deputy CM of Delhi) Acharya Balakrishnan (CEO of Patanjali)
Geeta Koda Shilpa Shetty & Raj Kundra
Deepa Venkat Suresh Oberoi and Allu Arvind

25. “14th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards” 2019 (instituted to honour
Ramnath Goenka – the founder of Indian Express) were given by the Express Group.
• The award was given to 23 winners in 11 categories for 2018.
• It is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of journalism in India.

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26. Ministry of Home Affairs has announced Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre
(Uttarakhand) and former IPS officer K.M. Singh as the winners of the Subhash Chandra
Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for their contribution in the field of disaster
management.
• The award is given on Subash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.

27. 22 children (10 girls and 12 boys) have been selected from 12 states for the Indian
Council of Child Welfare’s (ICCW) National Bravery Awards 2019.
• ICCW has instituted five special awards this year – ICCW Markandeya Award, ICCW
Dhruva Award, ICCW Abhimanyu Award, ICCW Prahalada Award and ICCW Shravan
Award.
Category Winners
Bharat Award Adithya K.
ICCW Markandeya Award Rakhi
ICCW Dhruva Award Purnima Giri and Sabita Giri
ICCW Abhimanyu Award Muhammed Mushin E.C. (posthumously)
ICCW Prahalada Award Srimati Badra
ICCW Shravan Award Sartaj Mohiudin Mugal
• The awards were instituted by ICCW in 1957.

28. UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has given a special recognition to Kerala as
an "Emerging Global Destination" in the Accessible Destination Awards 2019.
• Reason: for implementing the Kerala Tourism's Barrier-Free Tourism Project in
Thissur, Kerala. Kerala is the only state in India to win this honour.
• UNWTO Secretary-General (Zurab Pololikashvili) presented the award to Kerala
Tourism Director P Bala Kiran in Madrid, Spain during the FITUR Trade Fair (second-
biggest global gathering of tourism professionals).

29. Sneha Pamneja (graphic designer) has won the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize
2020, for book designing, at the 13th Zee Jaipur Literature Festival.
• She has won this award for designing the cover of ‘Tiffin: Authentic Recipes
Celebrating India’s Regional Cuisine’ book (which is written by Sonal Ved).

30. N Ram (Journalist and Chairman of the Hindu Group) won the National Media Award of
the Kerala Media Academy for his contribution to journalism.

31. Andrew Clement Serkis (English actor and film director) won the Outstanding British
Contribution to Cinema Award 2020.
• The award is given by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
• The award is given in honour of Michael Balcon (British film producer).

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32. N Kumar (Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) has won the ‘Harit
Ratna Award 2019’ given by the All India Agricultural Students Association.
• Reason: for providing entrepreneurship project worth Rs 30 crore in agri-business
and motivating students to involve in the agriculture sector in the State.
• The award was given during the 5th National Youth Convention held at Indira
Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya in Raipur.

33. Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the PADMA awards 2020. These awards are
given in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
• Padma Vibhushan was given to 7 people including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley
among others.
o Mary Kom has become the first sportswoman (and second sports personality
after Sachin Tendulkar) to win Padma Vibushan.
• Padma Bhushan was given to 16 people.
• Padma Shri was given to 118 people.

34. Election Commission of India (ECI) has given the National Media Award for print to
“The Hindu Tamil” (editor - K. Ashokan) as part of the ECI’s national awards for voter
awareness and education campaign in 2019.
• Reason: for encouraging people to give votes on the basis of merit of candidates’
during Lok Sabha election 2019.
• Apart from this, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha won the award for excellence
to states.
• Election conducting officers, organizations and media were also given awards for
spreading awareness about the fair electoral practises.

35. 62nd Annual Grammy Awards 2020 has been given by The Recording Academy to
recognize achievements of the music industry.
Category Winners
Record of the Year Billie Eilish for “Bad Guy”

Best New Artist Billie Eilish (He is an American)

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 Song of the Year Billie Eilish for “Bad Guy”
Best Pop Vocal Album Billie Eilish for “When We All Fall Asleep,
Where Do We Go?”
Album of the Year Billie Eilish for “When We All Fall Asleep,
Where Do We Go?”

Other Awardees:
Category Winners
Best Spoken Word Album Michelle Obama for “Becoming”
Best Country Album Tanya Tucker for “While I’m Livin”
Best Music Video Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus for “Old Town
Road”
Best Music Film Beyonce for “Homecoming”
Best Urban Contemporary Album Lizzo for “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)”
Note: the awards were given in other categories as well. Only the important ones have been
mentioned here. You can check out the full list of awardees here –
https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/62nd-annual-grammy-awards-2019

36. ‘Samvidhaan’ (means constitution) has been named as the Oxford Hindi Word of the
Year for 2019 by the Oxford University Press.

37. Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee has won the honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from
the Calcutta University (his alma mater).
Note: Details of Nobel Prize 2019 have been provided in October Spotlight (in Awards
section).

38. Sanjana Kapoor has won the French honour of ‘Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for her contribution to theatre.
• She is the daughter of Shashi Kapoor (Bollywood Actor) and Jennifer Kendal.

39. Environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev (from India) and Conservation biologist
Gretchen C. Daily (from USA) have been awarded with the 2020 Tyler Prize for
Environmental Achievement.
• The award is often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’ and is
administered by University of Southern California.
• The award recognizes two individuals for pioneering conservation of natural capital.

40. Kashmiri journalist Yusuf Jameel has won the PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for 2019-20 for
showing professional integrity and preserving the ideals of democracy.

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41. Rani Rampal (Indian hockey women’s team captain) has become the first-ever hockey
player to win the World Games Athlete of the Year Award 2019 by International
Hockey Federation (FIH).

42. Dr. Partap Chauhan has won the Ayurveda Ratan Award 2020 during the Ayurveda Day
Celebration at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
• Reason: for his lifelong dedication towards the furtherance of Ayurveda worldwide.
• Ayurveda Day was first celebrated at the European Parliament on November 21,
2018.
• National Ayurveda Day is observed on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti
(Dhanteras) every year.

SPORTS

1. Sumit Sangwan (boxer) has been banned for 1-year by the National Anti-Doping Agency
(NADA) for failing a dope test.

2. Sunita Lakra (India women’s hockey player) has announced her retirement due to knee
injury.

3. FIDE World Blitz competition 2019 was held in Moscow, Russia.

• Men’s Winner: Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
• Women’s Winner: Kateryna Lagno (Russia)
• India’s best performer: Humpy Koneru (at 12th position)

4. MS Dhoni has been named as captain of ODI and T20I team of the decade of
ESPNCricinfo.
• Virat Kohli has been named as the leader in Tests team of the decade.
• Mithali Raj (skipper) and Jhulan Goswami (fast bowler) have been included in the
ODI and T20I teams of the decade while Meg Lanning (Australia) was named as the
captain of the side.

5. Manav Thakar has been ranked at the first position in U-21 Men’s rankings released by
the International Table Tennis Federation (IITF).
• Thakar has won the U-21 men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenge Plus Benemax-
Virgo North American Open 2019 held in Markham, Canada.

6. First edition of 2020 Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will be hosted by Odisha at
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar.
• ‘Jay and Bijay’ mascots of the KIUG have been launched.
• Sports Authority of India, Association of Indian Universities, Indian Olympic
Association and National Sports Federation are jointly hosting the event.
• One-state-one-sport plan was also announced where each state will adopt and
nourish a particular sport of its choice and potential.

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 • Khelo India youth games for schools will be organized in Guwahati, Assam.

7. 3rd Khelo India Youth Games 2020 was organized in Guwahati, Assam by the Ministry
for Youth Affairs and Sports and Assam government.
• Mascots: Jaya (Black buck) and Vijay (Tiger)
• Winner: Maharashtra with a total 256 medals
• Runner Up: Haryana with 200 medals
• Harsh Bhagwan (boxer) has won first medal (silver) for Daman and Diu at the
games.

8. Ministry of Sports has given its approval to host the Commonwealth Games in shooting
and archery in 2022 in India.
• These events will be held under the Commonwealth Games Friendship Program.
• 2022 Birmingham CWG does not have these two sports.

9. Rohit Sharma Cricket stadium is being developed in Hyderabad, Telangana.

10. Magesh Chandran Panchanathan has won the 95th Hastings International Chess
Congress held at Hastings in England.

11. FIFA ranking for the whole year 2019:

Men’s Team Belgium
Women’s Team USA
Indian Men’s Team 108
Indian Women’s Team 57

12. Novak Djokovic has won the men’s singles at the ATP Cup 2020 held in Sydney,
Australia.
• Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki have won men’s doubles.

13. Kylian Mbappe (worth €265 million) has topped the list of most valuable football
players in the world released by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES -
based in Switzerland) Football Observatory.
• Raheem Sterling (worth €223.7 million) is 2nd and Mohammed Salah (worth €175.1
million) is 3rd in the list.
• Lionel Messi is at the 8th position with €125.5 million.

14. Fouaad Mirza (equestrian) has become the first Indian in 20 years to qualify for the
Olympics 2020 to be held in Tokyo, Japan. after 2 decades. (Equestrian means horse
riding)

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15. India is the top shooting country in the world with 21 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze in
2019 as per International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
• Also, India ranks at the top position in all the Rifle-pistol World Cups in 2019.
• China is at the second position with 11 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze.
• USA is at the third position with 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze.
About ISSF:
Headquarters- Munich, Germany
President- Vladimir Lisin

16. Serena Williams (tennis) has won the singles title at WTA Classic Auckland Open 2020
held in Auckland, New Zealand.
• Women’s Doubles: Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA):
Headquarters: United States
President: Micky Lawler

17. Kento Momota has won the men’s singles at the 2020 Malaysia Masters (badminton)
held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Chen Yu Fei won women’s singles.

18. ICC has announced its awards for Men for 2019:
Category Winners
ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Ben Stokes (England)
(Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy)

Umpire of the year Richard Illingworth (England)

T20I Performance of the Year
ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer
Associate Cricketer of the Year
Spirit of Cricket Award
ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
Deepak Chahar
Marnus Labuschagne (Australia)
Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)
Virat Kohli (India)
Rohit Sharma (India)
Pat Cummins (Australia)

19. Abhijeet Gupta has won the 18th Delhi International Open Grandmasters chess
tournament.

20. Magnus Carlsen has set a world record of winning 111 unbeaten classical games.

21. 23rd Deloitte's Football Money League – the list of world's highest-earning soccer club –
has been released.

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 Extra Fact:
Þ Top 5 football leagues of Europe: English Premier League (EPL), La Liga (Spain),
Fußball-Bundesliga (Germany), Serie A (Italy), and Ligue 1 (France).

22. Mohun Bagan football club will be merged with ATK Football Club and Bagan will be
renamed as ATK-Mohun Bagan from 2020-21.

23. India has won 7 medals (including 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) in the UWW Rome
Ranking Series in Italy.
• Gold winners: Bajrang Punia, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Vinesh Phogat and Gurpreet Singh.

24. Virat Kohli has become the only player in 2019 to score 2,455 runs in all formats – tests,
ODIs and T20I – combined.

25. Jacqueline Williams (Jamaica) has become the first woman third umpire in men’s
international cricket match.
• She oversaw all 3 matches of the T20I series between West Indies and Ireland held in
in Grenada, West Indies.

26. ICC U-19 world cup 2020 will be held in South Africa.

27. India has won ODI series of 3 matches against Australia held in Bengaluru.
• Kuldeep Yadav has become the fastest Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODI. In
2019, he became the first Indian cricketer to claim two hat-tricks in international
cricket in 2019.
• Virat Kohli has become the fastest captain to complete 5000 runs in ODIs in 82
innings.
• Virat Kohli has also become the fastest captain to score 11,000 international runs in
just 196 innings.

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28. M. Meena Kumari (54kg), Monika (48kg), Ritu Grewal (51kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari
(75kg) won silver medals at the 9th Nation’s Cup boxing tournament for women held at
Sombor, Serbia.
• Pavitra (60kg) and Pwilao Basumatary (64kg) won bronze medals.

29. 27th WTA Hobart International 2020 (tennis tournament) was held in Hobart, Australia.
• Singles winner: Elena A. Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
• Doubles winner: Sania Mirza and Nadiia Kichenok (Ukrainian)

30. Australia will host the 11th edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup 2020 for men and
women in Melbourne city in October.
• World Indoor Cricket Federation regulates the Indoor Cricket World Cup.

31. Meyton Cup International shooting championship was held in Innsbruck, Austria.
Indian Gold Winners
Air Rifle (Men) Divyansh Singh Panwar
Air rifle (Women) Apurvi Chandela
Anjum Moudgil won Bronze
Air rifle (Junior men) Kapil Dev

32. Ministry of Sports has de-recognised the Rowing Federation of India for violating the
Sports Code of 2011 in electing President and Secretary-General.
About Rowing Federation of India:
President – Rajlaxmi Singh Deo
Secretary-General – MV Sriram

33. New Zealand will host the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2021 in 6 cities.
• Final match of the world cup will be played in Hagley Oval stadium in Christchurch.

34. Fabiano Caruana (American-Italian chess Grandmaster) has won the Tata Steel Masters
chess tournament held in The Netherlands.

35. P. Magesh Chandran (Indian) has won the 95th edition of the Hastings International
Chess Congress held in Hastings, England.

36. Abhay Singh (India) has won British U-23 Squash Open Crown 2020 held in London,
England.

37. Fares Dessouky (Egypt) has won the Pittsburgh Open (world squash tournament) held in
Pittsburgh, USA.

38. 71st International Boxing Tournament “Strandja” 2020 was held in Sofia (capital of
Bulgaria).
• Winner – Ukraine (Total medals - 10; Gold - 4)

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 • India was ranked 9th with 3 medals (1 Silver won by Mohammed Hussamuddin and 2
Bronze won by Sonia Lather and Shiva Thapa).
About International Boxing Association:
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
President – Gafur Rakhimov

39. India will host the Barca Academy Cup - Asia Pacific (football), consecutively for a 2nd
time, in Gurgaon, Haryana.
• Seven countries – India, Australia, Turkey, China, Singapore, Japan and Spain – will
participate in Cup which is organized by Barca Academy.

40. David Paravyan has won the 18th Gibraltar Chess Festival held in Gibraltar (British
Overseas Territory).

MISCELLANEOUS
Note: Only remembering the name, country and profession of the disease would be
sufficient for the exam.

1. American Dialect Society (ADS) has chosen ‘they’ as their Word of the Decade. In 2015,
they was ADS’s word of the year.

2. University of Oxford (England) has discovered the 2nd species on Earth which can see
without eyes through a phenomenon called extraocular vision.
• Name of that species is “red brittle star” (Ophiocoma wendtii). It lives in the coral
reefs of the Caribbean Sea.
• The study is published in journal Current Biology.
• A sea urchin specie is the first specie to have this ability.

3. ‘The Cuckoo’s Nest’, first English novel of A Sethumadhavan (Malayali novelist) has
been published.

4. Amit Shah has released a book ‘Karmayoddha Granth’ on the life of PM Narendra
Modi.

5. Laser Inferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational

waves due to collision of two neutron stars.
• It is the 2nd time the gravitational waves are being detected. The first ever neutron
star was detected in 2017.
• India will also establish a LIGO in Maharashtra to locate gravitational waves and
their new sources.

6. “New India: Selected Writings 2014-19” book is a compilation of selected writing of Late
Arun Jaitley which is being compiled by Juggernaut Books publishing house (to be
released in February 2020)

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7. ‘PAX SINICA: Implications for the Indian Dawn’ book has been authored by Samir Saran
and Akhil Deo. It was released by External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
• The book presents the details of China in 21st century.

8. W.V. Raman (cricketer) has authored a book “The Winning Sixer”.

9. Liang Jun - China’s first and oldest female tractor driver and a national icon - has passed
away.

10. Aashman Taneja (aged 5) from Telangana has made the Guinness Book of World
Records for the most full contact knee strikes (more than 1,200 knee strikes) non-stop
in 1-hour in Taekwondo.

11. Scientists found out the world’s oldest grains on earth (7 billion years old) inside the
meteorite that crashed in a fireball in 1969 into the town of Murchison in Australia.
• A team of scientists led by Philipp Heck published their research in ‘Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences’ (PNAS) journal.

12. Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have resigned as the working
members of Britain's monarchy.

13. ‘Essays & Reminiscences: A Festschrift in Honour of Nani A Palkhivala’ book has been
released to mark the 100th birth anniversary of “Nani” Ardeshir Palkhivala (Jurist and
Economist).
• Arvind Datar has edited the book and Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Trust
commissioned it.

14. Rock band - Queen has become first British band to appear alongside Queen Elizabeth
II on a commemorative coin which was released by Royal Mint.

15. The Gateway - A Social Commentary on Safety of Senior Citizens book has been written
by Hariharan Balagopal.

16. “Human Dignity – A purpose in perpetuity” book has been written by Ashwani Kumar
and published by LexisNexis (USA).

17. Xenobots – world’s first living and self-healing robots have been created by the
University of Vermont and Tufts University by using the stem cells of frogs.
• It is named after Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) from which the stem cells was
taken.
• Benefits: Xenobots can be used to clean the radioactive waste, collect microplastics
in the oceans, carry medicine inside human bodies, or even travel into our arteries to
remove plaque.

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18. “The Story of Yoga: From India to the Contemporary World” book has been written by
Alistair Shearer (Scottish cultural historian).

19. To honour the contribution of Dr Kailash Chandra (Director of Zoological Survey of India
– ZSI) towards Indian animal taxonomy, ZSI has named the new species of snake eel as
Ophichthus kailashchandrai.
• It was found in the Bay of Bengal and is the eighth species of the Ophichthus genus
found on the Indian coast.

20. Melhupra Vero has passed away. He was the first person from Nagaland to become a
member of the Rajya Sabha.

21. Balwa (Hindi novel) has been written by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (Minister for Minority
Affairs).
• Hindi novel ‘Raj Leela’ and ‘Cyber Supari’ are the other novels of Naqvi.

22. 10th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, consisting of 26 new Indian
language words, has been launched.
• Over 1000 new words were included.
• Total 384 Indian words such as Aadhaar, Chawl, hartal etc. are present in the
dictionary.
First published in Japan in 1942.
First published by Oxford University Press in 1948.

23. Kobe Bean Bryant (American basketball player) and his daughter passed away in a
helicopter crash.

24. ‘Relentless’ autobiography of Yashwant Sinha (former finance minister) has been
released.

25. Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival observed in Adilabad district, Telangana.

26. Jallikattu is the bull-human fighting festival observed as a part of Pongal celebrations on
Mattu Pongal day, particularly, in Tamil Nadu (and in other South Indian states).

27. “Aaj ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi” book has been written by BJP leader Jay Bhagwan
Goyal.

28. “The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi – Trial & Verdict 1948-49” book has been
published by The Hindu.

29. Tushar Kanjilal (social worker, environmentalist, educationist and writer) has passed
away.
• He has written ‘Who killed the Sunderbans?” book.

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 QUESTIONS

131
Q.1) Global Carbon Project has made to impose its rule on J&K in case of failure
some observations on India that India’s of the UT administration?
emissions in 2019 was expected to be only [a] Section 73
___ higher than in 2018? [b] Section 50
[a] 1.8% [c] Section 90
[b] 1.2% [d] Section 69
[c] 1.4% [e] Section 81
[d] 1.3%
[e] 1.5% Q.6) Which of the following committee
was formed by Andhra Pradesh to suggest
Q.2) Where is the workshop-cum- the model for Andhra Pradesh’s
exhibition 'Bamboo - A wonder grass: development?
Opportunity for Sustainable Development [a] G N Rao Committee
in Jobs' organized? [b] K C Sivaramakrishnan Committee
[a] Ladakh [c] Bugganan Rajendranath Committee
[b] Jammu and Kashmir [d] KT Rama Rao Committee
[c] Himachal Pradesh [e] V Sitaram Committee
[d] Uttarakhand
[e] Punjab Q.7) Which city has topped in the Swachh
Survekshan League 2020 in the category
Q.3) In which institute has the Industry of population above 10 lakhs?
4.0 SAMARTH UDYOG Centre been [a] Chandigarh
opened to support Indian manufacturing [b] Madras
with technology? [c] Kolkata
[a] IISc Bangalore [d] Indore
[b] IIT-Madras [e] Bhopal
[c] IIT-Delhi
[d] IIT-Mumbai Q.8) Who heads the group of ministers
[e] IIM-Ahmedabad formed by the government to review the
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and
Q.4) Cabinet Committee on Economic suggest measures to improve it?
Affairs has approved to reduce central [a] Smriti Irani
govt’s shareholding in selected Central [b] Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
Public Sector Enterprises where the govt [c] Narendra Singh Tomar
shareholding is below ___ per cent? [d] Amit Shah
[a] 45% [e] Rajnath Singh
[b] 51%
[c] 49% Q.9) Which state has launched ‘Damini’ - a
[d] 60% calling and a WhatsApp helpline service -
[e] 75% to ensure the safety of the women
passengers?
Q.5) Which section of the J&K [a] Arunachal Pradesh
Reorganization Act, 2019 allows President [b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Uttar Pradesh

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[d] Himachal Pradesh [c] Madhya Pradesh
[e] Andhra Pradesh [d] Maharashtra
[e] Himachal Pradesh
Q.10) Lai Haroba is a ritualistic festival
observed by meitei communities. Which Q.15) Which city has the highest amount
state does the community belong to? of sugar intake at 26.3 g/day as per the
[a] Nagaland Indian Council of Medical Research’s first
[b] Tripura report on sugar intake of India?
[c] Manipur [a] Chandigarh
[d] Mizoram [b] Malappuram
[e] Assam [c] Mumbai
[d] Guwahati
Q.11) Which Indian state is the only abode [e] Lucknow
of Asiatic Lion in the world?
[a] Karnataka Q.16) Which of the following year is the
[b] Gujarat warmest year since 1901, according to
[c] Madhya Pradesh IMD?
[d] Tamil Nadu [a] 2019
[e] Assam [b] 2014
[c] 2011
Q.12) Who heads the Group of Ministers [d] 2001
formed by government to examine the [e] 2003
proposed National Tariff Policy 2016?
[a] Amit Shah Q.17) Where has the Indian Navy
[b] Rajnath Singh launched its 1st tri-dimensional
[c] Raj Kumar Singh expedition ‘Maha-Navy Connect 2020’?
[d] Smriti Irani [a] Maharashtra
[e] Santosh Gangwar [b] Karnataka
[c] Kerala
Q.13) What is the name of ISRO’s project [d] Odisha
launched in 2019 to track the space [e] Telangana
objects?
[a] Takshila Q.18) Where is the Buxa National Park
[b] Netra located?
[c] Chakshu [a] West Bengal
[d] Drishti [b] Madhya Pradesh
[e] Vilochan [c] Tamil Nadu
[d] Gujarat
Q.14) Which state has launched the [e] Assam
Mukhya Mantri Karmchari Swasthya Bima
Yojana to provide health insurance to all Q.19) Which country is being helped by
12.55 lakh employees of the state? India in setting up Aadhar?
[a] Delhi [a] Afghanistan
[b] Arunchal Pradesh [b] Kuwait

133
[c] Saudi Arabia Q.24) Where is the World’s first hotel
[d] UAE themed on female empowerment named
[e] Bahrain as Hotel Zena being developed?
[a] USA
Q.20) Sukanya project is the self-defence [b] Russia
training program for school and college [c] Australia
going girls of which city? [d] Sri Lanka
[a] Ahmedabad [e] France
[b] Kolkata
[c] Hyderabad Q.25) Where has World's largest flower -
[d] Mumbai Rafflesia tuan-mudae - been discovered?
[e] Chennai [a] Malaysia
[b] Indonesia
Q.21) Which is the world’s first country [c] Thailand
which banned sunscreen that affect coral [d] Cuba
reefs, sea life and other wildlife species? [e] Brazil
[a] New Zealand
[b] Palau Q.26) Which of the following organization
[c] Papua New Guinea has been approved by RBI to provide
[d] Sri Lanka financial support, IT infrastructure, among
[e] Costa Rica other things, to the Urban Co-operative
Banks as an umbrella organization?
Q.22) Which country has recently [a] Association of Urban Cooperative
declared the giant paddlefish (also known Banks and Credit Societies
as the ‘Panda of the Yangtze river’) as [b] National Federation of Urban
extinct? Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies
[a] China [c] Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks
[b] South Korea and Credit Societies
[c] Thailand [d] Central Authority of Urban
[d] New Zealand Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies
[e] Australia [e] Union League of Urban Cooperative
Banks and Credit Societies
Q.23) Which country has increased its
presence in the bonds market worldwide Q.27) What is the name of the app
from 2% in 2007 to 12% in 2019, launched by RBI to help visually impaired
according to Bank for International people to identify currency notes
Settlements data? accurately?
[a] Russia [a] Mani
[b] France [b] Karma
[c] Belgium [c] Vilocan
[d] USA [d] Nayan
[e] China [e] Mudra

134
Q.28) According to the “Developments in percent of the net advances of these
India’s Balance of Payments during the banks?
Second Quarter (July-September) of 2019- [a] 6%
20” report of RBI, India’s current account [b] 5%
deficit decreased to ___ per cent of GDP [c] 4%
in Q2 of 2019 quarter? [d] 7%
[a] 0.9% [e] 15%
[b] 0.5%
[c] 0.7% Q.33) According to the report ‘Towards a
[d] 0.4% Globally Competitive Minerals & Mining
[e] 0.2% Industry’ released by CII, mining sector
should constitute __ per cent share in the
Q.29) To which country has Exim Bank GDP by FY25?
granted a line of credit of $75 million for [a] 3%
establishing the 75 MW Photovoltaic Solar [b] 1%
Parks? [c] 4%
[a] Ukraine [d] 10%
[b] Brazil [e] 5%
[c] Cuba
[d] Algeria Q.34) What is the new percentage of
[e] Bohemia input tax credit of eligible credit set by
Central government under GST, if invoices
Q.30) Which of the following is India’s first or debit notes are not provided in filings
standardised health insurance products w.e.f., Jan 1, 2020?
(or a life insurance policy)? [a] 25%
[a] Arogya yashoda [b] 15%
[b] Arogya sanjeevani [c] 30%
[c] Arogya ammal [d] 10%
[d] Arogya amrit [e] 20%
[e] Arogya chetna
Q.35) How much export of India’s seafood
Q.31) Which has become the first co-op (particularly Shrimp) to China has been
bank in India to convert into a small increased in January-November 2019,
finance bank? according to Marine Products Export
[a] Ahmedabad Mercantile Co-Op Bank Development Authority?
[b] Rajkot Nagrik Sahakari Bank [a] 42%
[c] Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank [b] 36%
[d] Vasavi Coop Urban Bank [c] 25%
[e] Citizen Credit Co-operative Bank [d] 50%
[e] 10%
Q.32) As per the new Supervisory Action
Framework for Primary (Urban) Co- Q.36) What was the percentage of
operative Banks, net NPAs of Urban resolution of cases under insolvency and
Cooperative Banks should not exceed __

135
bankruptcy code 2016 in the year 2018- [a] Airbus
19, according to RBI? [b] Boeing
[a] 14.5% [c] American Airlines Group
[b] 5.3% [d] Emirates Group
[c] 42.5% [e] United Continental Holdings
[d] 27.5%
[e] 3.5% Q.41) According to RBI’s data, credit
growth of banks has shrunk __ percent to
Q.37) Ministry of Finance has reduced the ₹99.47 lakh crore at the end of 2019?
limit of government spending to __ [a] 9.7%
percent for the last quarter (Jan-Mar [b] 3.7%
2020) of their budget estimate for the [c] 5.7%
entire financial year? [d] 6.7%
[a] 33% [e] 4.7%
[b] 25%
[c] 40% Q.42) Which of the following statement is
[d] 27% true about the INC rating?
[e] 13% [a] It is issued on the long term non-
convertible debentures of listed
Q.38) How much interest subsidy will be companies
provided by Department of [b] It is issued on the short-term
Pharmaceuticals to pharma companies for preferential shares of listed companies
loans up to Rs 8-10 crore under The [c] It is issued on the long-term bonds of
Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation unlisted companies
Assistance Scheme? [d] It is issued when a company fulfills in
[a] 3% CSR duties
[b] 2% [e] It is issued when an issuer or a
[c] 5% company is not cooperating with the
[d] 4% rating agency
[e] 6%
Q.43) Which bank has recently organized
Q.39) Recently, RBI has mandated a loan carnivalto disburse loans of up to
companies with annual turnover of ___ to Rs 4,000 crore?
mandatorily provide digital payment [a] Allahabad Bank
options to the customers? [b] Oriental Bank of Commerce
[a] Rs 10 crore [c] Union Bank of India
[b] Rs 50 crore [d] UCO Bank
[c] Rs 100 crore [e] State Bank of India
[d] Rs 75 crore
[e] Rs 200 crore Q.44) Ministry of Corporate Affairs has
mandated the private companies with
Q.40) Which company has become the total outstanding debt of ____ or more to
world’s biggest plane maker in 2019 by submit a secretarial audit report to the
delivering 863 aircrafts? government?

136
[a] Rs 200 crore Q.49) Who is the present Chairman of
[b] Rs 70 crore Central Board of Indirect Taxes and
[c] Rs 100 crore Customs?
[d] Rs 300 crore [a] B Raman
[e] Rs 50 crore [b] Piyush Goyal
[c] Atanu Chakraborty
Q.45) When did India acknowledged [d] Mehul Das
quadricycle as a new category of vehicles? [e] PK Das
[a] 2019
[b] 2018 Q.50) Who is the present chairman of
[c] 2017 Railway board?
[d] 2014 [a] Vinod Kumar Yadav
[e] 2015 [b] Vinay Kumar Yadav
[c] Vikram Kumar Yadav
Q.46) Who heads the committee which [d] Vinayak Kumar Yadav
recommended SEBI to split Chairman and [e] Vijay Kumar Yadav
Managing Director’s job in the listed
companies to boost corporate Q.51) Who has been appointed as the
governance? interim MD and CEO of Lakshmi Vilas
[a] Uday Kotak Bank?
[b] H R Khan [a] S Sundar
[c] U K SInha [b] Romesh Sobti
[d] Nandan Nilekani [c] PR Seshadri
[e] K Kasturiranjan [d] Shyam Srinivasan
[e] Chandra Sekhar Ghosh
Q.47) Who has been appointed as the first
Chairman of National Medical Q.52) Who has been appointed as the
Commission? deputy CEO of Walmart India?
[a] Sanjiv Mehta [a] Sushant Deshmukh
[b] Suresh Chandra Sharma [b] Keshav Yadav
[c] Kishore Gupta [c] Sameer Aggarwal
[d] Keshava Pandey [d] Ram Singh
[e] Anirudh Bhagat [e] Kanhaiya Mehrishi

Q.48) Who has been appointed as the first Q.53) How many nurses and midwives
female Chancellor of the Queen’s would be needed worldwide to achieve
University? universal health coverage by 2030,
[a] Nicola Sturgeon according to WHO?
[b] Naomi Scott [a] 9 million
[c] Mary Carl [b] 4 million
[d] Hillary Rodham Clinton [c] 20 million
[e] Catherine Watson [d] 10 million
[e] 5 million

137
Q.54) When is World Braille Day Q.59) Where will the First edition of 2020
observed? Khelo India University Games be played?
[a] January 4 [a] Odisha
[b] January 8 [b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] January 7 [c] Maharashtra
[d] January 9 [d] Gujarat
[e] January 10 [e] Uttar Pradesh

Q.55) Which year has been designated as Q.60) Who has been named as the captain
the “Year of Mobility” for the welfare of of ODI and T20I team of the decade of
troops? ESPNCricinfo?
[a] 2020 [a] Virat Kohli
[b] 2021 [b] Pat Cummins
[c] 2022 [c] Ben Stokes
[d] 2023 [d] MS Dhoni
[e] 2024 [e] Steve Smith

Q.56) Who has become the first and Q.61) With which country has India signed
youngest tribal woman in the world to an MoU in the field of Polar Science to
climb 6 highest peaks of the 6 continents? study the Arctic and Antarctic regions?
[a] Malavath Poorna [a] Sweden
[b] Lynn Hill [b] Russia
[c] Angela Eite [c] France
[d] Jessica Pilz [d] USA
[e] Alex Martin [e] Germany

Q.57) Who has constituted a new prize –
Earthshot Prize – to award the people
working for solving the Earth’s greatest
environmental problems?
[a] Prince George Alexander Louis
[b] Prince Henry Frederick
[c] Prince Henry Charles Albert David
[d] Prince William Arthur Philip Louis
[e] Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward
Q.62) With which organization has
Department of Health and Family Welfare
signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in
the field of health?
[a] BRAC
[b] Wikimedia Foundation
[c] Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
[d] Partners in Health
[e] Médecins Sans Frontières

Q.58) Where is the Rohit Sharma Cricket Q.63) What is the percentage of viability
stadium being developed? Gap Funding approved by Cabinet
[a] Telangana Committee on Economic Affairs for North
[b] Madhya Pradesh East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush Gas
[c] Arunachal Pradesh Grid Limited?
[d] Mizoram [a] 60%
[e] Odisha [b] 30%
[c] 20%

138
[d] 50% according to the Crime in India 2018
[e] 40% report of National Crime Record Bureau?
[a] Uttar Pradesh
Q.64) Which state is observing the [b] Bihar
International Kite festival? [c] Telangana
[a] Gujarat [d] Odisha
[b] Punjab [e] Chhattisgarh
[c] Himachal Pradesh
[d] Kerala Q.69) Which city is at the top of the
[e] Telangana world’s fastest-growing (urban) cities list
of Economist Intelligence Unit?
Q.65) Which state will set up the Vikram [a] Malappuram
Sarabhai Children Innovation Center to [b] Kozhikode
identify, nurture and promote innovation [c] Thrissur
of children up to 18 years? [d] Tiruppur
[a] Maharashtra [e] Kollam
[b] Karnataka
[c] Assam Q.70) Where was the 5th Pulses Conclave
[d] Uttar Pradesh 2020 organized?
[e] Gujarat [a] Delhi
[b] Maharashtra
Q.66) Which state has witnessed the [c] Telangana
highest number of IPD (Inpatient [d] Karnataka
Department) care cases in India according [e] Andhra Pradesh
to the state-wise fact sheets released by
the National Health Systems Resource Q.71) Which of the following is not a
Centre? category of state in the State Energy
[a] Himachal Pradesh Efficiency Index 2019?
[b] Jammu and Kashmir [a] Aspirant
[c] Haryana [b] Contender
[d] Arunachal Pradesh [c] Achiever
[e] Sikkim [d] Frontrunner
[e] Performer
Q.67) With which country has India signed
an MoU for cooperation in the field of Q.72) How much of the total installed
electoral management? capacity of India is in renewables,
[a] Philippines according to the first review of India’s
[b] Singapore energy policies 2020 released by the NITI
[c] Australia Aayog and International Energy Agency?
[d] Mauritius [a] 23%
[e] Japan [b] 33%
[c] 43%
Q.68) Which state has witnessed the [d] 50%
highest number of economic offences [e] 13%

139
 [a] Chhattisgarh
Q.73) Where has the Global Investors [b] Odisha
Meet – ASCEND 2020 been organized? [c] Goa
[a] Gujarat [d] Andhra Pradesh
[b] Rajasthan [e] Maharashtra
[c] Assam
[d] Bihar Q.78) What is the percentage of minimum
[e] Kerala revenue share that the miners have to
generate from each mine as a bid
Q.74) What is the name of the steel hub parameter according to the Mineral Laws
launched by Ministry of Steel, in (Amendment) Ordinance 2020?
association with Confederation of India [a] 4%
Industries, to accelerate the development [b] 2%
of eastern states? [c] 3%
[a] Vindhaya [d] 8%
[b] Purvodaya [e] 5%
[c] Samagra
[d] Sampurna Q.79) Which of the following institute has
[e] Ispaat been as one of the EdTech companies
under the NEAT initiative of Ministry of
Q.75) Where has the India’s first Cyber HRD?
Crime Prevention Unit “Cyber AASHVAST” [a] Motilal Nehru National Institute of
been established? Technology
[a] Gujarat [b] Maulana Azad National Institute of
[b] Sikkim Technology
[c] Tripura [c] National institute of Information
[d] Delhi Technology
[e] Uttar Pradesh [d] Malaviya National Institute of
Technology
Q.76) What is the theme of the 5th [e] B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of
Raisina Dialogue 2020? Technology
[a] Navigating the Alpha Century
[b] Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity Q.80) How many new ports from
[c] New Geometrics |Fluid Partnerships | Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep
Uncertain Outcomes islands have been chosen for the Phase 2
[d] Managing Disruptive Transitions: of the “Holistic Development of Islands”
Ideas, Institutions and Idioms programme respectively?
[e] None of the Above [a] 12 and 5
[b] 14 and 7
Q.77) In which state has the Ministry for [c] 6 and 9
Women and Child Development launched [d] 10 and 4
the Yashaswini scheme for providing [e] 7 and 11
interest free loans of up to Rs 5 lakhs to
Women entrepreneurs?

140
Q.81) What is the name of the bilateral Q.86) What is India’s rank in the Global
exercise conducted by the coast guards of Firepower estimates of world’s most
India and Japan? powerful military?
[a] Surya Kiran [a] 3
[b] Sahyog-Kaijin [b] 4
[c] Thar Shakti [c] 2
[d] Dharma Guardian [d] 1
[e] Prabal Dostyk [e] 5

Q.82) Who heads the panel formed by Q.87) What is the real GDP growth rate
govt to consider the revision of royalty for 2019-20 according to the First Advance
rates for minerals? Estimates of National Income released by
[a] K Rajeswara Rao National Statistical Office?
[b] Vishwanath Kirmarkar [a] 5%
[c] Vishal Goyal [b] 4.9%
[d] Atanu Chakrobarty [c] 5.2%
[e] Krishan Maheshwari [d] 6%
[e] 5.7%
Q.83) Which institute has developed the
“Integrated Road Accident Database” to Q.88) Which bank has launched the
help govt authorities in proper monitoring Residential Builder Finance with Buyer
and accurate analysis of road accidents? Guarantee to protect home buyers by
[a] IIT-Hyderabad issuing guarantee about the completion of
[b] IIT-Madras residential projects?
[c] IIT-Bangalore [a] HDFC Bank
[d] IIT-Delhi [b] Allahabad Bank
[e] IIT-Mysore [c] State Bank of India
[d] Oriental Bank of Commerce
Q.84) What is India’s rank in the Henley [e] Bank of Baroda
Passport Index 2020?
[a] 79 Q.89) According to the First Advance
[b] 84 Estimates of National Income released by
[c] 101 National Statistical Office, manufacturing
[d] 112 sector’s growth at constant prices 2011-
[e] 140 12 has fallen to __ from 6.9%?
[a] 2%
Q.85) Sea Guardians is the bilateral naval [b] 3.4%
drill of which two nations? [c] 4%
[a] Russia and South Korea [d] 5.7%
[b] Japan and Philippines [e] 2.7%
[c] Australia and India
[d] Pakistan and China Q.90) According to the Competition
[e] Malaysia and Sri Lanka Commission of India’s “Market Study on
E-commerce in India: Key Findings and

141
Observations” report, revenue of e- [c] 3%
Commerce firms is expected to increase [d] 2.9%
to ____ in 2020 from $39 billion in 2017? [e] 2.3%
[a] $100 billion
[b] $120 billion Q.95) Financial Stability Development
[c] $80 billion Council was established on the
[d] $110 billion recommendations of ___ committee?
[e] $90 billion [a] Raghuram Rajan committee
[b] HR Khan committee
Q.91) What is the GDP growth rate for [c] Nandan Nilekani committee
FY20 by State Bank of India? [d] Usha Thorat committee
[a] 4.6% [e] Yashwant Thorat committee
[b] 4%
[c] 3.9% Q.96) Which of the following company has
[d] 4.9% acquired 50.80% stake of Apollo Munich
[e] 5.6% Health Insurance?
[a] HDFC
Q.92) Which state government has signed [b] Aditya Birla Group
a loan agreement of Rs 711 crore with Kfw [c] Ador Group
(Germany Development bank) for [d] Standard Chartered
expanding the Zero-Budget Natural [e] Fortis Healthcare
Farming in the state?
[a] Maharashtra Q.97) What is the new authorized capital
[b] Andhra Pradesh limit of Indian Overseas Bank?
[c] Odisha [a] Rs 25000 crore
[d] Himachal Pradesh [b] Rs 20000 crore
[e] Uttarakhand [c] Rs 10000 crore
[d] Rs 15000 crore
Q.93) Which bank has launched ‘myApps’ [e] Rs 30000 crore
– a suite of white-label apps – for large
institution to allow them to digitise their Q.98) Which bank has been barred by RBI
ecosystem? from conducting its regular operations
[a] Dhanlaxmi Bank with immediate effect for 6 months under
[b] Axis Bank Sections 35A and 56 of Banking Regulation
[c] HDFC Bank Act, 1949?
[d] IDFC Bank [a] Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank
[e] ICICI Bank [b] Apna Sahakari Co-Op Bank
[c] Kalupur Commercial Coop. Bank
Q.94) What is the GDP growth for world [d] Nutan Nagarik Sahakari Bank
for 2020 projected by World bank in its [e] Rajkot Nagrik Sahakari Bank
January 2020 Global Economic Prospects:
Slow growth, policy challenges report? Q.99) What is the new deadline for
[a] 2.5% companies to split the roles of Chairman
[b] 2.7%

142
and Managing Director for 500 listed [d] Oil
company? [e] Transport equipment
[a] 2024
[b] 2023 Q.104) Which is the world’s largest
[c] 2022 producer of crude palm oil?
[d] 2025 [a] Malaysia
[e] 2021 [b] Philippines
[c] Indonesia
Q.100) With which bank has South-Central [d] Myanmar
Railways signed an MoU to implement [e] Vietnam
door-step banking in 585 railway stations?
[a] State Bank of India Q.105) ‘Highway to a Hundred Unicorns’ is
[b] Punjab National Bank the program of which company to
[c] Allahabad Bank strengthen the startup ecosystem in
[d] Bank of Baroda various states?
[e] Bank of Maharashtra [a] Microsoft
[b] Amazon
Q.101) Which section of the Companies [c] Google
Act 2013 allows promoters or any class of [d] Intel
creditors to reach an arrangement with [e] Apple
other stakeholders to take control of the
company once it is sent for liquidation? Q.106) India has imposed anti-subsidy
[a] Section 70 duty on copper wire rods from Indonesia,
[b] Section 230 Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the
[c] Section 30 range between ___ and ___?
[d] Section 80 [a] 2.47% and 10.27%
[e] Section 35A [b] 1.07% and 8.71%
[c] 3.17% and 9.27%
Q.102) Which company has launched the [d] 2.36% and 5.27%
‘liquid fund’ facility for its customers, in [e] 3.51% and 12.50%
partnership with, Aditya Birla Sun Life
Mutual Funds? Q.107) Which company has emerged as
[a] PhonePe the world’s largest automaker in 2019 by
[b] Mobikwik delivering 10.97 million vehicles?
[c] Paytm [a] Toyota
[d] GooglePay [b] Volkswagen
[e] PayU [c] Hyundai
[d] General Motors
Q.103) Which of the following product has [e] Ford
been shifted from “free” to “restricted”
category of imports by India? Q.108) Who has been appointed as the
[a] Refined Palm Oil new MD of IBM India and South Asia?
[b] Electronic goods [a] Aditya Aggarwal
[c] Semi-precious stones [b] Vihaan Goel

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[c] Sandip Patel [d] Anil Chandra
[d] Arjun Garg [e] Manoj Dhillon
[e] Reyaash Patel
Q.114) Who has been appointed as the
Q.109) Who has been appointed as the MD and CEO of Tata Global Beverages?
chairman of Apparel Export Promotion [a] Raghav Bhasin
Council of India? [b] Siddharth Chauhan
[a] M Chiranjeev [c] Sunil A. D'Souza
[b] Daamodar Chhibber [d] Advaith Deshmukh
[c] A Sakthivel [e] Shivansh Mallick
[d] Eashwar Balasubramaniam
[e] Ghanasyaam Bahl Q.115) Who has been appointed as the
first operating partner of SoftBank in
Q.110) Who has been reappointed as the India?
Chairman as the Krishak Bharati [a] Aanandhi Kumar
Cooperative Limited? [b] Aadhira Mani
[a] Arnav Pal Singh Yadav [c] Samarth Gill
[b] Dhruv Pal Singh Yadav [d] Vikas Agnihotri
[c] Shaurya Pal Singh Yadav [e] Pranav Biswas
[d] Krishna Pal Singh Yadav
[e] Chandra Pal Singh Yadav Q.116) Which state observes January 6 as
“Journalists’ Day” of the state every year
Q.111) Who has been appointed as the to commemorate journalist Late Balshastri
new ruler of Oman? Jambhekar?
[a] Nasir-Ud-Din Mahmud [a] Jharkhand
[b] Ghiyas-Ud-Din Balban [b] Maharashtra
[c] Muizz-Ud-Din Kaiqubad [c] Punjab
[d] Haitham bin Tariq Al Said [d] Gujarat
[e] Qaboos bin Said al Said [e] Madhya Pradesh

Q.112) Who has been reappointed as the Q.117) When is the World Hindi Day
Surveyor General of India for 1 year in the observed?
Survey of India? [a] January 10
[a] Ishaan Dhar [b] January 28
[b] Girish Kumar [c] January 16
[c] Atharv Gandhi [d] January 23
[d] Kabir Basu [e] January 13
[e] Aarush Chopra
Q.118) National Youth Day is observed
Q.113) Who has been appointed as the every year on January 12 to
head of Microsoft’s Asia business? commemorate the birth anniversary of
[a] Ahmed Mazhari _____?
[b] Rudra Kulkarni [a] Swami Vivekananda
[c] Anik Bajwa [b] Adi Shankara

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[c] Sri Aurobindo [c] 8
[d] Nagarjuna [d] 4
[e] Ramanuja [e] 7

Q.119) When is the Armed Forces Q.124) Who has won the Sportstar of the
Veterans Day observed? Year Award during the Sportstar Aces
[a] January 14 Awards 2020?
[b] February 14 [a] PV Sindhu
[c] March 14 [b] Kapil Dev
[d] April 14 [c] Pullela Gopichand
[e] May 14 [d] R Praggnanandhaa
[e] Leander Paes
Q.120) Who is the author of the ‘Asha and
the Spirit Bird’ book? Q.125) Who has become the first Indian
[a] Jasbinder Bilan equestrian in 20 years to qualify for the
[b] Barun Roy Olympics 2020?
[c] Durjoy Datta [a] Somdev Devvarman
[d] Gnani Sankaran [b] Fouaad Mirza
[e] Indira Dangi [c] P. R. Sreejesh
[d] Vijay Amritraj
Q.121) Who has won the Col. CK. Nayudu [e] Arjun Kadhe
Lifetime Achievement Award (given for
contribution to Indian cricket) of BCCI? Q.126) Who has topped the list of most
[a] Krishnamachari Srikkanth valuable football players in the world
[b] Sunil Gavaskar released by the International Centre for
[c] Sachin Tendulkar Sports Studies Football Observatory?
[d] MS Dhoni [a] Mohammed Salah
[e] Kapil Dev [b] Cristiano Ronaldo
[c] Kylian Mbappe
Q.122) Who has won the First edition of [d] Raheem Sterling
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National [e] Lionel Messi
Award for Excellence in social service?
[a] Gutta Muniratnam Q.127) Which is the top shooting country
[b] Subash Palekar in the world with 21 gold, 6 silver, and 3
[c] MS Swaminathan bronze in 2019 as per International
[d] Both A and B Shooting Sport Federation?
[e] Both A and C [a] India
[b] USA
Q.123) How many districts have won the [c] Russia
Swachhata Darpan Awards given by [d] China
Ministry of Jal Shakti during Open [e] Australia
Defecation Free sustainability workshop?
[a] 5 Q.128) Who has won the singles title at
[b] 10 WTA Classic Auckland Open 2020?

145
[a] Karolina Pliskova procurement, production, research and
[b] Serena Williams development of defence related
[c] Naomi Osaka equipment during the Raisina Dialogue?
[d] Simona Halep [a] Sweden
[e] Bianca Andreescu [b] Finland
[c] Netherlands
Q.129) Who has won the men’s singles at [d] UK
the 2020 Malaysia Masters? [e] Russia
[a] Chou Tien-chen
[b] Viktor Axelsen Q.134) What is India’s rank on the
[c] Wang Tzu-wei Women, Business and the Law 2020 index
[d] Kento Momota of the World Bank?
[e] B. Sai Praneeth [a] 117
[b] 102
Q.130) Who is the author of ‘PAX SINICA: [c] 113
Implications for the Indian Dawn’ book? [d] 180
[a] Samir Saran [e] 79
[b] Akhil Deo
[c] kavya Sen Q.135) How many countries have scored a
[d] Both A and B perfect 100 in the Women, Business and
[e] Both B and C the Law 2020 index of the World Bank?
[a] 8
Q.131) Where has the First-ever [b] 9
International Heritage Symposium and [c] 10
Exhibition been launched? [d] 7
[a] New Delhi [e] 5
[b] Maharashtra
[c] Gujarat Q.136) How many urgent health
[d] Karnataka challenges have been identified by the
[e] Andhra Pradesh World Health Organization that the world
will face over next decade?
Q.132) What is the name of the annual [a] 8
fuel conservation campaign launched by [b] 10
Petroleum Conservation Research [c] 11
Association to create awareness among [d] 13
people? [e] 12
[a] Saksham
[b] Urja Q.137) In the 15th Global Risks Report
[c] Uttam 2020, the top 5 risks in long term in terms
[d] Ujjwal of likelihood are all related to ___?
[e] Samarth [a] Economic
[b] Technologic
Q.133) With which country has India [c] Environment
signed an MoU for cooperation in [d] Geopolitics

146
[e] Society Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment
signed by India and Norway?
Q.138) Which company has sold off its [a] 2019
entire stake (of 10 million shares) in Uber [b] 2018
Technologies in 2019 after Uber’s shares [c] 2017
plunged? [d] 2015
[a] Goldman Sachs [e] 2020
[b] ExxonMobil
[c] Toyota Q.143) How much financial assistance has
[d] Allianz been provided by central government to
[e] General Electric Tripura for rehabilitation of Brus?
[a] Rs 600 crore
Q.139) Which company has acquired 30% [b] Rs 200 crore
stake in Reliance Power's subsidiary Rosa [c] Rs 300 crore
Power Supply Company through pledged [d] Rs 400 crore
shares? [e] Rs 100 crore
[a] Tata Sons
[b] Bandhan Bank Q.144) Which country has announced to
[c] Infosys accommodate 1,00,000 Rohingya
[d] Yes Bank refugees in its Bhasan Char Island?
[e] ITC [a] Bangladesh
[b] Malaysia
Q.140) According to ADB’s “Asia's Journey [c] Laos
to Prosperity: Policy, Market, and [d] Thailand
Technology over 50 Years” book, Asia’s [e] India
contribution to the global economy has
risen to __ in 2018? Q.145) World Bank and Indian
[a] 24% Government have signed a $88 million
[b] 31% loan agreement for the implementation of
[c] 27% inland water transport project in which
[d] 15% state?
[e] 30% [a] Kerala
[b] Assam
Q.141) Which institute has organized the [c] Karnataka
international conclave - “Globalizing [d] Madhya Pradesh
Indian Thought”? [e] Gujarat
[a] IIM-Kozhikode
[b] IIM-Rohtak Q.146) What is the new cap on
[c] IIM-Calcutta investment adviser fees of the assets
[d] IIM-Mysore under advice or a fixed fee of Rs 75,000
[e] IIM-Ahmedabad per year per family as proposed by SEBI?
[a] 1.9%
Q.142) When was the Terms of Reference [b] 3.2%
for holding the First Session of India- [c] 1.7%

147
[d] 2.5%
[e] 2.9% Q.152) Which has become the first state
in India which signed an MoU with the
Q.147) Which company is buying the 49% International Union for Conservation of
stake in GMR Airports Limited from GMR Nature to start ‘red listing’ of orchids?
Infrastructure? [a] Odisha
[a] AirAsia India [b] Kerala
[b] Inter Globe Aviation [c] Arunachal Pradesh
[c] TATA SIA Airlines [d] Meghalaya
[d] TRIL Urban Transport [e] Tripura
[e] Spice Jet
Q.153) Where is the 23rd National Youth
Q.148) Who has been appointed as the Festival 2020 being held?
Prime Minister of Russia? [a] Lucknow
[a] Viktor Abramov [b] Delhi
[b] Mikhail Mishustin [c] Mangalore
[c] Murat Akhedzhak [d] Mumbai
[d] Adam Amirilayev [e] Kolkata
[e] Nikolay Antoshkin
Q.154) What is the name of the India’s
Q.149) Who has won the 18th Delhi first e-commerce housing platform
International Open Grandmasters chess launched by Ministry of Housing to help
tournament? home buyers in identifying genuine
[a] Karthik Venkatraman properties and offer only certified
[b] Gukesh D projects?
[c] Abhijeet Gupta [a] QuickBuy.com
[d] S.L. Narayanan [b] HousingForAll.com
[e] Vidit Santosh Gujrathi [c] ApnaGhar.com
[d] GetHouse.com
Q.150) Who is the writer of “The Winning [e] SapnokaGhar.com
Sixer”?
[a] Samhita Arni Q.155) Where is Talley Valley Wildlife
[b] Vimla Patil Sanctuary located?
[c] Arya Gopi [a] Arunachal Pradesh
[d] W.V. Raman [b] Assam
[e] Partha Sarathi Gupta [c] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Madhya Pradesh
Q.151) Which state observes the Chahar [e] Maharshtra
Kut festival?
[a] Mizoram Q.156) What is the name of the biggest
[b] Tripura airborne exercise conducted by Indian
[c] Manipur Army?
[d] Jharkhand [a] Emerald Mercury
[e] Assam [b] Desert Strike

148
[c] Shatrujeet [c] Russia
[d] Winged Raider [d] USA
[e] Brazen Chariots [e] South Korea

Q.157) “APNA UREA – SonaUgle” is the Q.162) Which state has launched the
brand of which company? ‘Rojgar Sangi’ to provide employment to
[a] National Fertilizers Ltd the skilled youth?
[b] Coromandel International Ltd [a] Gujarat
[c] Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd [b] Chhattisgarh
[d] Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd [c] Kerala
[e] Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & [d] Madhya Pradesh
Chemicals Ltd [e] Arunachal Pradesh

Q.158) On which footballer’s name has Q.163) Which union territory has signed
the Indian Postal Department recently an MoU with Niti Aayog to develop its
released a commemorative stamp? infrastructure?
[a] Monoranjan Bhattacharya [a] Jammu and Kashmir
[b] Rohan Adnaik [b] Puducherry
[c] Krishnan Nair Ajayan [c] Ladakh
[d] Rahim Ali [d] Daman and Diu
[e] Chuni Goswami [e] Lakshadweep

Q.159) Two villages – Bahadurpur and Q.164) Where is the ELECRAMA 2020 –
Khedi Viran will be developed as first exhibition of Indian electrical industry was
'Model Sports Villages of India'. Where are organized by Indian Electrical and
these two villages located? Electronics Manufacturers’ Association?
[a] Uttar Pradesh [a] Noida, Uttar Pradesh
[b] Telangana [b] Bangalore, Karnataka
[c] Gujarat [c] Guwahati, Assam
[d] Rajasthan [d] Chandigarh, Punjab
[e] Punjab [e] Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Q.160) Where is the 5th Science Film Q.165) Which bank has launched India’s
Festival of India being held? largest API (application programming
[a] Goa interface) Banking portal consisting of 250
[b] Sikkim APIs to improve the productivity for
[c] Tripura business process for all types of firms?
[d] Maharashtra [a] ICICI Bank
[e] Karnataka [b] HDFC Bank
[c] Oriental Bank of Commerce
Q.161) From which country is India [d] Karnataka Bank
procuring the Kalashnikov rifles? [e] Bank of Baroda
[a] France
[b] Israel

149
Q.166) What is the name of the platform
launched by the National Payments Q.171) Which state has witnessed the
Corporation of India to make payments highest incidences of sexual harassment in
fast and secure? 2018?
[a] Vajra [a] Maharashtra
[b] Suraksha [b] Karnataka
[c] Asathir [c] Tamil Nadu
[d] Shakti [d] Odisha
[e] Santushta [e] Telangana

Q.167) What is India’s GDP growth rate Q.172) In which country will India set up a
for FY20, according to the World maritime research coordination centre to
Economic Situation and Prospects 2020 monitor the activities in the Indian Ocean
report of United Nations? Region?
[a] 5.7% [a] Indonesia
[b] 6.2% [b] Australia
[c] 4.5% [c] Bangladesh
[d] 4.6% [d] Madagascar
[e] 5.9% [e] Sri Lanka

Q.168) What is India’s rank in buying gold Q.173) Who heads the committee formed
in 2019, according to “World Gold Outlook by Supreme Court to frame a law on
2020” report? mediation to give legal sanctity to
[a] 4 disputes settled through mediation?
[b] 2 [a] Sourav Kumar Singh
[c] 10 [b] Niranjan Bhat
[d] 6 [c] Neeraj Mishra
[e] 5 [d] Bharat Kumar
[e] Anurag Bakshi
Q.169) Who has been appointed as the
Queen’s Counsel for courts of England and Q.174) Which company will set up the
Wales? India's first smartphone display
[a] Harish Salve manufacturing unit on the outskirts of
[b] Ram Jethmalani Delhi?
[c] Fali Nariman [a] Samsung
[d] Gopal Subramaniam [b] Redmi
[e] Abhishek Manu Singhvi [c] Vivo
[d] Apple
Q.170) Who is the President of Ukraine? [e] Oppo
[a] Petro Poroshenko
[b] Volodymyr Zelenskiy Q.175) Where has the Steppe Eagle been
[c] Viktor Yanukovych sighted for a second time in Andhra
[d] Arseniy Yatsenyuk Pradesh after two decades?
[e] Oleksandr Turchynov [a] Andhra Pradesh

150
[b] Tamil Nadu [d] ₹1 crore
[c] West Bengal [e] ₹5 crore
[d] Odisha
[e] Karnataka Q.180) When was India declared as polio-
free?
Q.176) Which state has topped the [a] 2014
rankings of the water departments of [b] 2017
Central and state governments based on [c] 2015
their efficiency targets? [d] 2013
[a] Gujarat [e] 2009
[b] Maharashtra
[c] Delhi Q.181) How many medals have been won
[d] Madhya Pradesh by India at the UWW Rome Ranking
[e] Kerala Series?
[a] 7
Q.177) Where will the world leaders [b] 8
gather to promote peace in Libya and to [c] 5
stop the conflict-wracked Libya from [d] 2
becoming a "second Syria"? [e] 10
[a] Berlin
[b] London Q.182) With which sport is Ravi Kumar
[c] Paris Dahiya related to?
[d] Rome [a] Wrestling
[e] Dublin [b] Badminton
[c] Tennis
Q.178) What is the name of the financial [d] Squash
services and micro-credit startup [e] Cricket
launched by Flipkart CTO Ravi Garikipati
and Raj Vattikuti? Q.183) Who has become the only player
[a] SigTuple in 2019 to score 2,455 runs in all formats –
[b] Mad Street Den tests, ODIs and T20I – combined?
[c] Davinta [a] Virat Kohli
[d] Haptik [b] Steve Smith
[e] Flutura [c] Kane Williamson
[d] Joe Root
Q.179) According to the new norms of [e] Ben Stokes
SEBI, reward would be given in case the
information provided by whistle blowers Q.184) Which state observes the
leads to a disgorgement of at least __ Yakshagana - traditional theatre festival?
under the PIT (Prohibition of Insider [a] Karnataka
Trading) Regulation? [b] Odisha
[a] ₹4 crore [c] Telangana
[b] ₹2 crore [d] Kerala
[c] ₹3 crore [e] Andhra Pradesh

151
 [b] Bihar and Assam
Q.185) Who is the president of [c] Karnataka and Kerala
Afghanistan? [d] West Bengal and Assam
[a] Mohammad Ashraf Ghani [e] Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
[b] Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi
[c] Al Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Q.190) Which article of the constitution
[d] Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim provides that a section of citizens having a
[e] Tarfa bint Abduallah bin Abdulateef al distinct language, script or culture have
Sheek the right to conserve the same?
[a] Article 29
Q.186) Cabinet Committee on Investment [b] Article 15
and Growth has dictated the govt officials, [c] Article 18
ministries and departments to reduce [d] Article 14
expenditure on travel, food and [e] Article 30
conferences and other necessary activities
by what percentage? Q.191) Which nation will get $50 million
[a] 20% from India for the purchase of equipment
[b] 25% for its security forces?
[c] 15% [a] Sri Lanka
[d] 30% [b] Maldives
[e] 10% [c] Australia
[d] Philippines
Q.187) Which of the following institute [e] Singapore
has organized the First Krishi Manthan
2020 – the largest food, agri-business and Q.192) In which state is the Kukis tribe
rural development summit of Asia? found?
[a] IIM-Lucknow [a] Nagaland
[b] IIM-Rohtak [b] Tripura
[c] IIM-Ahmedabad [c] Manipur
[d] IIM-Nagpur [d] Meghalaya
[e] IIM-Bangalore [e] Arunachal Pradesh

Q.188) What is India’s rank in the World Q.193) Where was the 25th edition of the
Economic Forum’s the Global Social biennial Conference of Speakers and
Mobility Report 2020? Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth
[a] 67 2020 held?
[b] 76 [a] Canada
[c] 53 [b] New Zealand
[d] 102 [c] USA
[e] 49 [d] Britain
[e] India
Q.189) In which state is the Tulu language
spoken?
[a] Chhattisgarh and Odisha

152
Q.194) Where will the Conference of [e] 4.9%
Speakers and Presiding Officers of the
Commonwealth be held in 2024? Q.199) Aseem Infrastructure Finance
[a] Tanzania Limited is the new NBFC-IFC of which
[b] Albania company?
[c] Papua New Guinea [a] Larsen & Toubro Infrastructure
[d] Uganda Development Projects Ltd
[e] Kenya [b] Reliance Infrastructure Developers Ltd
[c] National Investment and Infrastructure
Q.195) According to the International Fund
Maritime Organization’s Sulphur 2020 [d] Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd
rules, Marine sector will have to reduce [e] GMR Infrastructure Ltd
sulphur emissions by over ___ by
switching to lower sulphur fuels? Q.200) How much FDI inflow has India
[a] 80% received in 2019 according to the Global
[b] 40% Investment Trend Monitor report of
[c] 20% United Nations Conference on Trade and
[d] 70% Development?
[e] 50% [a] $49 billion
[b] $15 billion
Q.196) When was the Treaty on the Non- [c] $20 billion
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [d] $35 billion
enforced? [e] $30 billion
[a] 2004
[b] 1968 Q.201) From which company has Indian
[c] 1970 Oil Corporation decided to import 2
[d] 2010 million tonnes of crude oil annually?
[e] 2015 [a] Sinopec
[b] Rosneft
Q.197) What is India’s GDP growth rate [c] Saudi Aramco
for FY20 according to the UN? [d] Royal Dutch Shell
[a] 5.1% [e] BP
[b] 5%
[c] 5.7% Q.202) Which of the following company
[d] 5.3% has been merged into the National
[e] 4.9% Insurance Company Ltd?
[a] Oriental Insurance Company Ltd
Q.198) What is India’s GDP forecast for [b] United India Insurance Company Ltd
2019, according to IMF’s World Economic [c] ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
Outlook Update 2020? [d] Both A and B
[a] 4.8% [e] Both B and C
[b] 5%
[c] 6.2% Q.203) Who has been appointed as the
[d] 7.1% CMD of Unitech?

153
[a] Prateek Jalan [e] Aditya Birla
[b] Yudvir Singh Malik
[c] Neha Maheshwari Q.209) Who has become the first woman
[d] Sayonee Prabhakar third umpire in men’s international cricket
[e] Deepak Kanthalia match?
[a] Lisa Carprini Sthalekar
Q.204) Who has been appointed as the [b] Stafanie Roxann Taylor
President of Archery Association of India? [c] Katherine Helen Brunt
[a] Arjun Munda [d] Meghann Moira Lanning
[b] Arun Vaish [e] Jacqueline Williams
[c] Deepak Chaurasiya
[d] Vivek Kapurthaliya Q.210) In which of the following state
[e] Pankaj Chapolia epiphany festival is known as the Festa
dos Reis?
Q.205) Who has been elected as the 11th [a] Goa
president of the Bharatiya Janata Party? [b] Kerala
[a] Amit Shah [c] Andhra Pradesh
[b] Devendra Fadnavis [d] Karnataka
[c] Smriti Irani [e] Gujarat
[d] J P Nadda
[e] Piyush Goyal Q.211) What is India’s rank in the Global
Reporting Initiative’s report?
Q.206) Who has been appointed as the [a] 4
MD of State Bank of India? [b] 5
[a] A L Mittal [c] 3
[b] H C Tyagi [d] 2
[c] P C Tulsiyaan [e] 1
[d] J P Sharma
[e] Challa Sreenivasulu Setty Q.212) What is theme of the tableau on
Startup India to be carried out during
Q.207) Who has been appointed as the Republic Day Parade 2020?
MD & CEO of Canara Bank? [a] Startups: Reach for the Sky
[a] Lingam Venkata Prabhakar [b] Mobilizing Global Capital for
[b] Akash K Singh Innovation in India
[c] Ashish Chandra [c] India Opportunity- Investing in
[d] Deepak Goel tomorrow together
[e] Ravi Bindal [d] Women First, Prosperity for All
[e] Startups now: The world's hottest
Q.208) Which Indian has received the market
Order of Australia honour?
[a] Lok Nayak Mittal Q.213) When was the Startup India
[b] Indra Nooyi Action Plan launched by DPIIT to allow
[c] Lakshmi Mittal eligible companies get recognized as
[d] Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw startups?

154
[a] 2016 [d] 2012
[b] 2014 [e] 2016
[c] 2003
[d] 2015 Q.218) Where has 12th National Tribal
[e] 2001 youth programme been organized?
[a] Andaman and Nicobar
Q.214) Where is the headquarters of the [b] Daman and Diu
Bilateral International Treaty Organization [c] Puducherry
located? [d] Dadar and Nagar Haveli
[a] Netherlands [e] Delhi
[b] Switzerland
[c] Denmark Q.219) Which university has launched the
[d] France app ‘Very Good Morning’ to reduce the
[e] Germany crimes against women?
[a] IIT-BHU
Q.215) Where has Ministry for Agriculture [b] IIT-Madras
and Farmers Welfare organized the 1st [c] IIT-Kozhikode
National consultative workshop on [d] IIT-Ropar
Strengthening Agri-Logistics? [e] IIT-Chennai
[a] Delhi
[b] Mumbai Q.220) Which of the following companies
[c] Kolkata have been chosen by Ministry of Defence
[d] Chennai for the production of 6 Scorpene class
[e] Guwahati submarines under P 75I project?
[a] Bharat Dynamics Limited and Tata
Q.216) With which organization has Indian Group
Navy signed an MoU for sharing of data in [b] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and
Meteorology and Oceanography? Kalyani Group
[a] Indian National Centre for Ocean [c] BEML Limited and Bharat Forge
Information Services [d] Mazagaon Docks Limited and Larsen
[b] Geological Survey of India and Toubro
[c] National Centre for Coastal Research [e] Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited and
[d] Indian Institute of Tropical Reliance Group
Meteorology
[e] None of the Above Q.221) Which company has launched
chipsets that support Navigation with
Q.217) When did PM Narendra Modi start Indian Constellation (NavIC)?
the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ interaction [a] Intel
programme with school students to [b] NVIDIA
relieve them of stress ahead of [c] IBM
examination? [d] Samsung
[a] 2018 [e] Qualcomm
[b] 2017
[c] 2002

155
Q.222) What is the name of the cyclone [d] Piyush Goyal
that has hit Fiji? [e] Narendra Modi
[a] Trami
[b] Hagibis Q.227) Recently, RBI has cancelled the
[c] Tino Certificate of Authorisation of which
[d] Sinlaku company?
[e] Fitow [a] Fit and Glow
[b] Mindtree
Q.223) What is the rate of unemployment [c] Cure Fit
in the world in 2019 according to the [d] Vodafone M-pesa
International Labour Organization’s [e] Dunzo
annual report?
[a] 5.4% Q.228) In which company has Department
[b] 6.1% of Telecommunication approved the FDI
[c] 2.1% limit to 100% from 49% earlier to help the
[d] 4.9% company raise foreign money?
[e] 3.2% [a] Vodafone
[b] Infosys
Q.224) What is the rate of female [c] Bharti Airtel
workforce participation in 2019, according [d] Wipro
to the International Labour Organization’s [e] HCL Technologies
annual report?
[a] 51% Q.229) How much FMCG industry is
[b] 40% expected to grow in 2020 in terms of
[c] 33% value growth, according to Nielsen?
[d] 20% [a] 9-10%
[e] 47% [b] 11-15%
[c] 10-15%
Q.225) With which nation has United [d] 7-12%
Kingdom ratified a treaty to protect the [e] 7-9%
wrecks of RMS Titanic from damage by
explorers and tourists in the North Q.230) With which country has India
Atlantic Ocean? recently ratified the Multi-Lateral
[a] USA Agreement?
[b] France [a] Australia
[c] Russia [b] Singapore
[d] Japan [c] New Zealand
[e] Belgium [d] Indonesia
[e] Philippines
Q.226) Who will head the National Startup
Advisory Council? Q.231) Who has been appointed as the
[a] Amit Shah Head of RBS India by the Royal Bank of
[b] Rajnath Singh Scotland?
[c] Smriti Irani [a] Punit Sood

156
[b] Garima Jalan [c] Assam
[c] Nujarat Qureshi [d] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Vishal Aggarwal [e] Karnataka
[e] Akash Pant
Q.237) Recently, India has inaugurated
Q.232) Who has been appointed as the the second Integrated Check Post
Chairperson of the executive council of between Jogbani (Bihar) –Biratnagar.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library? Which country does the Biratnagar belong
[a] Shubham Gupta to?
[b] Nripendra Misra [a] Sri Lanka
[c] Pradeep Kumar [b] Myanmar
[d] Pramod Jha [c] Nepal
[e] Sainyam Jain [d] Bhutan
[e] Afghanistan
Q.233) Who has won the Global Citizen
Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award Q.238) How many union territories in
2019? India have legislative assemblies of their
[a] Indra Nooyi own?
[b] Richa Jha [a] 3
[c] Simran Choudhary [b] 2
[d] Priya Prakash [c] 1
[e] Shreya Sharma [d] 4
[e] None of the Above
Q.234) Who has become the fastest
captain to complete 5000 runs in ODIs in Q.239) According to the Eurasia Group’s
82 innings? Top Risks 2020 report, India is world’s ___
[a] Virat Kohli highest geopolitical risk country?
[b] MS Dhoni [a] 5th
[c] Rohit Sharma [b] 6th
[d] Ishaan Sharma [c] 10th
[e] Rishabh Pant [d] 1st
[e] 3rd
Q.235) With which sport is Bhagyabati
Kachari related to? Q.240) Which of the following is the
[a] Boxing proposed location of the world’s largest
[b] Squash visible telescope - Hawaiian telescope
[c] Football (also known as the thirty metre
[d] Hockey telescope)?
[e] Volleyball [a] Waikiki Beach
[b] USS Arizona Memorial
Q.236) Where is the Bandhavgarh Tiger [c] Mauna Kea
Reserve located? [d] North Shore of Oahu
[a] Madhya Pradesh [e] Kona Coffee Farms
[b] Arunachal Pradesh

157
Q.241) Which state has launched a lease Q.245) Which state’s Election Commission
agricultural land policy and thus became has become the first state to use facial
the first state in India to have such a recognition in the municipal elections?
policy? [a] Andhra Pradesh
[a] Uttar Pradesh [b] Maharashtra
[b] Madhya Pradesh [c] Gujarat
[c] Uttarakhand [d] Uttarakhand
[d] Maharashtra [e] Telangana
[e] Gujarat
Q.246) When was the Pro-Active
Q.242) Which airport has become the first Governance and Timely Implementation
aircraft to sign an agreement with KUNZ (PRAGATI) portal launched by PM
GmbH to acquire Disabled Aircraft Narendra Modi?
Recovery Equipment (DARE) to enable [a] 2015
faster resumption of operations of [b] 2016
disabled aircrafts? [c] 2014
[a] Kempegowda International Airport [d] 2019
[b] Visakhapatnam International Airport [e] 2017
[c] Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International
Airport Q.247) Who heads the OBC commission
[d] Surat International Airport formed by government to look into the
[e] Hisar International Airport sub-categorisation of OBCs?
[a] R.K. Gauba
Q.243) Which country has been declared [b] Sunil Gaur
as a “reciprocating territory” under the [c] Vinod Goel
Section 44A of Civil Procedure Code, 1908 [d] G Rohini
by the Ministry of Law and Justice? [e] A.K. Pathak
[a] Saudi Arabia
[b] UAE Q.248) Which is the proposed capital of
[c] Bahrain the merged UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
[d] Australia and Daman and Diu?
[e] New Zealand [a] Dadar
[b] Daman
Q.244) Which Indian city has topped in [c] Silvassa
the Global Residential Cities Index Q3 [d] Nagan Haveli
2019 of Knight Frank? [e] Diu
[a] Hyderabad
[b] Delhi Q.249) India has signed an agreement for
[c] Bangalore cooperation for increasing the usage of
[d] Kolkata cooking gas in which country?
[e] Chennai [a] Ghana
[b] Benin
[c] Malawi
[d] Togo

158
[e] Niger [d] $5.7 million
[e] $4.1 million
Q.250) What is the name of the half-
humanoid developed by ISRO for Q.255) What is India’s rank in the
conducting the test flight of Gaganyaan? Democracy Index 2019 released by
[a] Abeer Mitra Economist Intelligence Unit?
[b] Daksha Mitra [a] 51
[c] Akhira Mitra [b] 49
[d] Vyom Mitra [c] 60
[e] Geetika Mitra [d] 102
[e] 73
Q.251) Which state has doubled the
number of holidays provided on Hindu Q.256) According to the Democracy Index
festivals for 2020? 2019 released by Economist Intelligence
[a] West Bengal Unit, India is a ____ democracy?
[b] Karnataka [a] Hybrid
[c] Kerala [b] Authoritarian
[d] Assam [c] Flawed
[e] Bihar [d] Full
[e] Functional
Q.252) Which country has been chosen as
the Chair of G77 for the year 2020? Q.257) According to the World Economic
[a] Morocco Forum’s survey, which country has the
[b] Kenya most people who trust in the climate
[c] Guyana science and the most people who are
[d] Ghana aware about the climate conditions?
[e] Tanzania [a] Bangladesh
[b] India
Q.253) Which country is not a part of the [c] Australia
World Economic Forum’s Reskilling [d] USA
Revolution to train 1 billion youth by [e] France
2030?
[a] Brazil Q.258) How many nations will be a part of
[b] USA the European Union after Brexit?
[c] UAE [a] 27
[d] France [b] 28
[e] None of the Above [c] 29
[d] 31
Q.254) According to the World Economic [e] 15
Forum’s report on cybercrime, Cybercrime
will cost ___ every minute in 2020? Q.259) Which bank has launched the
[a] $2.9 million Cardless cash withdrawal facility from its
[b] $1.6 million ATMs for up to Rs 20,000 per day by using
[c] $3.7 million bank’s mobile app - ‘iMobile’?

159
[a] ICICI Bank Q.264) Who has won the "Champion of
[b] HDFC Bank Change Award-2019" for his service in the
[c] Axis Bank Barhait and Dumka assembly
[d] Punjab National Bank constituencies?
[e] Karur Vyasa Bank [a] Hemant Soren
[b] Trivendra Singh Rawat
Q.260) Which of the following company [c] Mamata Banerjee
has signed a co-lending agreement with [d] Vijay Rupani Gujarat
Credit Saison for providing the working [e] B. S. Yediyurappa
capital financing to MSMEs?
[a] Pristyn Care Q.265) Recently, 14th Ramnath Goenka
[b] Capital Float Excellence in Journalism Awards were
[c] Bizongo presented to 23 winners. The awards have
[d] Digit Insurance been instituted to honour Ramnath
[e] upGrad Goenka who was the founder of which
newspaper?
Q.261) Which company acquired debt-hit [a] Indian Express
realty developer Jaypee Infratech? [b] Hindustan Times
[a] NBCC (India) [c] Times of India
[b] Jaiprakash Associates Ltd [d] Dainik Bhaskar
[c] Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd [e] Punjab Kesari
[d] Kalpataru Ltd
[e] Lodha Group Q.266) Who has won the doubles at the
27th WTA Hobart International 2020?
Q.262) What is the GDP growth rate of [a] Sania Mirza and Nadiia Kichenok
India for FY21, according to Ind-Ra? [b] Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep
[a] 5.5% [c] Ashleigh Barty and Karolína Plíšková
[b] 5.3% [d] Elina Svitolina and Bianca Andreescu
[c] 5.1% [e] Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitová
[d] 6.2%
[e] 4.8% Q.267) Which country will host the 11th
edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup
Q.263) SEBI has reduced timeline for 2020 for men and women?
serving the advance notice to stock [a] Australia
exchange for rights issues from 7 days to [b] West Indies
___ days (excluding the date of intimation [c] Brazil
and the record date)? [d] India
[a] 1 [e] Sri Lanka
[b] 2
[c] 3 Q.268) With which sport is Divyansh Singh
[d] 4 Panwar related to?
[e] 5 [a] Shooting
[b] Hockey
[c] Chess

160
[d] Rugby [d] Congo
[e] Football [e] Benin

Q.269) What is the name of the world’s Q.274) Which state has been ranked first
first living and self-healing robots that in the ‘SKOCH State of Governance 2019’
have been created by the University of report for better performance in Health,
Vermont and Tufts University by using the Education, Power and e-Governance
stem cells of frogs? sectors?
[a] Xenobots [a] Gujarat
[b] Robonaut [b] Maharashtra
[c] Pioneer [c] Tamil Nadu
[d] RASSOR [d] Kerala
[e] Dextre [e] Madhya Pradesh

Q.270) Which of the following is a Q.275) What is the name of the revamped
monthly return form of GST? communication system based on satellite
[a] GSTR 4 network for police?
[b] GSTR 6 [a] POLNET 2.0
[c] GSTR 5A [b] POLCONNECT 2.0
[d] GSTR-3B [c] GLOBEFIRE 2.0
[e] GSTR 1 [d] POLWIRE 2.0
[e] NETFIRE 2.0
Q.271) Which city is the most polluted
Indian city in 2018, according to the Q.276) Which state has launched the
Greenpeace India report? Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan
[a] Jharia Yojana for farmers of the state who die or
[b] Dhanbad become handicapped while working on
[c] Kurnool the field?
[d] Lunglei [a] Uttar Pradesh
[e] Kochi [b] Telangana
[c] Odisha
Q.272) What is the currency of Tunisia? [d] Chhattisgarh
[a] Dinar [e] Assam
[b] Ringgit
[c] Rufiya Q.277) Which substance’s imports has
[d] Kyat been banned by India to prevent ozone
[e] Baht depletion?
[a] Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
Q.273) In which country has India opened [b] Methyl chloroform
the first ever Mahatma Gandhi [c] Carbon tetrachloride
convention centre of Africa? [d] Methyl bromide
[a] Kenya [e] Chlorofluorocarbons
[b] Niger
[c] Albania

161
Q.278) Which country is observing 2020
as the Year of Public Health? Q.283) What is the theme of the
[a] Indonesia Sagarmatha Sambad 2020 to be held in
[b] Philippines Kathmandu?
[c] Malaysia [a] '32 years and Healing'
[d] Maldives [b] Keep Cool and Carry on: The Montreal
[e] Singapore Protocol
[c] Connecting people to nature
Q.279) What is India’s rank in the Global [d] Climate Change, Mountains and the
Talent Competitiveness Index 2020 Future of Humanity
released by INSEAD? [e] Caring for the Planet starts from the
[a] 72 Ground
[b] 80
[c] 91 Q.284) Which country is the permanent
[d] 63 Chair of the FATF’s Asia Pacific Group on
[e] 102 Money Laundering?
[a] New Zealand
Q.280) How many parameters have been [b] Japan
used in the Global Talent Competitiveness [c] Philippines
Index 2020? [d] Australia
[a] 7 [e] Indonesia
[b] 6
[c] 5 Q.285) Who has been appointed as the
[d] 4 goodwill ambassador of the Visit Nepal
[e] 10 2020?
[a] Bae Seong-woo
Q.281) According to UN World Tourism [b] Ahn Bo-hyun
Organisation’s ‘World Tourism Barometer’ [c] Ryan Bang
report, international tourist arrivals in [d] Cha In-ha
2019 have increased by __? [e] Xu Qing
[a] 2.4%
[b] 5% Q.286) Which of the following
[c] 3% organization has released the 1st edition
[d] 4% of the Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report
[e] 1.2% 2020?
[a] Credit Suisse
Q.282) What is India’s rank in the [b] Standard Chartered
Corruption Perception Index 2019 [c] Julius Baer
released by Transparency International? [d] Royal Bank of Scotland
[a] 80 [e] HSBC Bank
[b] 76
[c] 101 Q.287) Which company has become the
[d] 153 first telecom operator in India to launch
[e] 41 UPI payments service?

162
[a] Reliance Jio Q.292) In which state has Indian Railways
[b] BSNL inaugurated its first waste to energy
[c] MTNL plant?
[d] Airtel [a] Odisha
[e] Vodafone Idea [b] Assam
[c] Telangana
Q.288) What is the new investment limit [d] Chhattisgarh
set by RBI under the Voluntary Retention [e] West Bengal
Route for debt investments by foreign
portfolio investors? Q.293) Where will India set up the first
[a] ₹1.5 lakh crore ever war memorial for army’s service
[b] ₹2.1 lakh crore animals?
[c] ₹3 lakh crore [a] Madhya Pradesh
[d] ₹4 lakh crore [b] Andhra Pradesh
[e] ₹2.7 lakh crore [c] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Arunachal Pradesh
Q.289) Who has become the first Woman [e] Himachal Pradesh
President of Greece?
[a] Helen Vlachos Q.294) Who has been awarded with the
[b] Katerina Sakellaropoulou 5th Mahakavi Sethia Award for poetry
[c] Zoe Konstantopoulou during the 13th Zee Jaipur Literature
[d] Litsa Kouroupaki Festival?
[e] Aleka Papariga [a] Laxmi Agarwal
[b] Meena Alexander
Q.290) Which country has won the 3rd [c] Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
Khelo India Youth Games 2020? [d] Manoj Bhawuk
[a] Maharashtra [e] Murukan Kattakada
[b] Haryana
[c] Gujarat Q.295) Who among the following heads
[d] Odisha the Inter-Ministerial Group set by
[e] Andhra Pradesh government to dispose of the enemy
properties?
Q.291) With which country has India [a] Ajay Bhalla
signed an agreement to develop the [b] Tuhin Kanta Pandey
Ashuganj (river port) -Akhaura road (land [c] Rajiv Gauba
port) into a 4-lane highway? [d] Both A and B
[a] Bangladesh [e] Both B and C
[b] Nepal
[c] Sri Lanka Q.296) Which country has been ranked at
[d] Myanmar the 1st position in the World
[e] Maldives Breastfeeding Trends Initiative 2020?
[a] Sri Lanka
[b] Nepal
[c] New Zealand

163
[d] Japan [a] 9.15 million hectares
[e] India [b] 5.05 million hectares
[c] 6.65 million hectares
Q.297) Where is India’s first e-waste clinic [d] 4.75 million hectares
located? [e] 7.05 million hectares
[a] Bihar
[b] Madhya Pradesh Q.302) Which state has produced the
[c] Assam highest fruits in 2018-19, according to the
[d] West Bengal 3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture
[e] Chhattisgarh products?
[a] Andhra Pradesh
Q.298) In association with which country [b] Maharashtra
has India organized the Ganga-Volga [c] Uttar Pradesh
Dialogue in New Delhi? [d] Gujarat
[a] Russia [e] Madhya Pradesh
[b] Indonesia
[c] Philippines Q.303) What is the name of the online
[d] Sri Lanka web portal launched by Ministry for Road
[e] Japan Transport and Highways to monitor the
ongoing projects?
Q.299) Where will the National Institute [a] Darshana
of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj [b] Gaman
open the Communication Resource Unit, [c] Disha
in partnership with UNICEF? [d] Gati
[a] Hyderabad [e] Aashavast
[b] Meerut
[c] Chennai Q.304) With which country has India
[d] Kurnool signed an MoU to set up a centre for
[e] Bhopal innovation in information and
communication technologies?
Q.300) Which state has produced the [a] Gambia
highest vegetables in 2018-19, according [b] Zambia
to the 3rd Advance Estimates of [c] Tunisia
Horticulture products? [d] Sierra Leone
[a] West Bengal [e] Senegal
[b] Uttar Pradesh
[c] Madhya Pradesh Q.305) Where is India’s first Super Fab Lab
[d] Bihar established?
[e] Gujarat [a] Kerala
[b] Gujarat
Q.301) How much area was under fruit [c] Maharashtra
cultivation in 2018-19, according to the [d] Tamil Nadu
3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture [e] Odisha
products??

164
Q.306) According to the Nature Risk Rising [c] Banaras Hindu University
report of World Economic Forum, [d] Visva-Bharati University
Industries which are highly dependent on [e] O.P Jindal Global University
nature generate __ percent of global
GDP? Q.311) Which Indian state’s government
[a] 15% has received an investment of Rs 4,125
[b] 12% crores in food and renewable energy
[c] 10% sectors during the 50th annual meeting of
[d] 7% World Economic Forum?
[e] 20% [a] Madhya Pradesh
[b] Kerala
Q.307) Which is the first country in South [c] Tamil Nadu
Asia and 119th country in the world to [d] Mizoram
launch an e-passport? [e] Punjab
[a] Bangladesh
[b] Sri Lanka Q.312) Which Indian state has signed an
[c] Bhutan informal agreement with World Economic
[d] Pakistan Forum for launching “Centre for Internet
[e] Afghanistan of ethical things”?
[a] Karnataka
Q.308) Where has the World’s Oldest Ever [b] Kerala
Mushroom Fossil been discovered? [c] Maharashtra
[a] Congo [d] Andhra Pradesh
[b] Lesotho [e] Assam
[c] Burkina Faso
[d] Comoros Q.313) Who has been awarded with 26th
[e] Niger Crystal award 2020 during the 50th
annual meeting of World Economic Forum
Q.309) Which country has developed the for raising awareness on mental health?
World’s smallest gold coin of 2.96 [a] Deepika Padukone
millimeter which features Albert Einstein? [b] Jennifer Lawrence
[a] Spain [c] Angelina Jolie
[b] Germany [d] Scarlett Johansson
[c] Poland [e] Natalie Portman
[d] Switzerland
[e] Finland Q.314) Which of the following institute
has been included in the top 30 of 1st
Q.310) Which Indian university has signed edition of Positive Impact Rating 2020?
an MoU with the University of Zurich for [a] IIM-Bangalore
cooperation in the field of higher [b] IIM-Calcutta
education and research? [c] XLRI Xavier School of Management
[a] Maulana Azad National Urdu [d] Both A and B
University [e] Both A and C
[b] University of Allahabad

165
Q.315) Which bank has launched the Ask
Lakshmi chat–bot in different regional Q.320) Which country will host the ICC
languages? Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2021?
[a] City Union Bank [a] New Zealand
[b] Federal Bank [b] England
[c] DCB Bank [c] Australia
[d] IDBI Bank [d] West Indies
[e] RBL Bank [e] Sri Lanka

Q.316) India and World Bank have signed Q.321) Which country has been chosen as
a loan agreement of $210 million for the guest of honour at New Delhi World
developing agri-business and rural areas Book Fair 2022?
in which state? [a] France
[a] West Bengal [b] Australia
[b] Jammu and Kashmir [c] United Kingdom
[c] Haryana [d] New Zealand
[d] Maharashtra [e] USA
[e] Odisha
Q.322) Which state has organized the first
Q.317) Which bank has launched the ever Innovation festival with National
“PIONEER’ Banking – an asset Innovation Foundation to foster the
management platform? culture of innovation among all people of
[a] Karur Vysya Bank the state?
[b] CSB Bank [a] Arunachal Pradesh
[c] Karnataka Bank [b] Mizoram
[d] Bandhan Bank [c] Tripura
[e] IndusInd Bank Ltd [d] Nagaland
[e] West Bengal
Q.318) Who has been appointed as the
Chairman of the Forum of the Election Q.323) Which state has signed a
Management Bodies of South Asia? Memorandum of Intent with Odisha for
[a] V.S. Seigell promoting the tourist sites of each other’s
[b] Sunil Arora state?
[c] Nasim Zaidi [a] Gujarat
[d] G.V.G. Krishnamurty [b] Maharashtra
[e] H.S.Brahma [c] Telangana
[d] Andhra Pradesh
Q.319) When is the International Day of [e] Chhattisgarh
Education observed?
[a] January 24 Q.324) What is the name of the fourth
[b] January 6 anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette
[c] January 11 developed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders
[d] January 12 and Engineers for Indian Navy as part of
[e] January 31 the project P28?

166
[a] INS Kavaratti Q.329) Where is the 3rd Global Potato
[b] INS Sindhurashtra Conclave 2020 being organized?
[c] INS Shankul [a] Maharashtra
[d] INS Chakra [b] Gujarat
[e] INS Rana [c] Andhra Pradesh
[d] Haryana
Q.325) Who has won the Uttam Yudh [e] Punjab
Seva Medal for serving families in Kashmir
after abrogation of Article 370? Q.330) Bodo tribe belongs to which state
[a] Anil Kumar Bhatt in India?
[b] Dilbagh Singh [a] Telangana
[c] Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon [b] Mizoram
[d] Jaswinder Singh Sandhu [c] Assam
[e] Satish Dua [d] Tripura
[e] Nagaland
Q.326) With which country has India
recently signed 15 agreements for Q.331) Where will India’s first underwater
cooperation in various fields such as oil Metro be established?
and gas, mineral resources, traditional [a] West Bengal
medicine, animal husbandry, bioenergy [b] Maharashtra
and trade & investment? [c] Madhya Pradesh
[a] Russia [d] Assam
[b] Brazil [e] Gujarat
[c] Saudi Arabia
[d] USA Q.332) Which state has uploaded the
[e] UAE highest amount of child sexual abuse
material, according to the data from US-
Q.327) Which state has recently abolished based National Centre for Missing and
its legislative council? Exploited Children?
[a] Andhra Pradesh [a] Uttar Pradesh
[b] Bihar [b] Delhi
[c] Karnataka [c] West Bengal
[d] Telangana [d] Maharashtra
[e] Maharashtra [e] Gujarat

Q.328) By when will the Ministry of Q.333) Where will the Indian Council of
Railway completely electrify Indian Agricultural Research set up an innovation
Railways? centre, where the innovations would be
[a] 2024 scientifically validated and farmers would
[b] 2030 also be allowed to pursue research?
[c] 2023 [a] Delhi
[d] 2027 [b] Mumbai
[e] 2025 [c] Chennai
[d] Bangalore

167
[e] Hyderabad [c] 2016
[d] 2017
Q.334) Where is the headquarters of [e] 2009
International Court of Justice?
[a] Netherlands Q.339) Who has been appointed as CEO of
[b] Switzerland the Indian Banks’ Association?
[c] USA [a] Shyam Srinivasan
[d] France [b] Sandeep Bakhshi
[e] Denmark [c] Dinesh Pant
[d] Sunil Mehta
Q.335) Where has the World’s tallest [e] V. G. Mathew
mural (286-foot-tall) been unveiled?
[a] Afghanistan Q.340) Who is the CEO of Flipkart?
[b] Egypt [a] Julie Sweet
[c] Oman [b] Kumar Birla
[d] Pakistan [c] Kalyan Krishnamurthy
[e] Saudi Arabia [d] Shantanu Narayen
[e] Stephen Squeri
Q.336) How many cases of fraud cases
have been recorded by the urban Q.341) When is the International
cooperative banks in the last 5 fiscal years Holocaust Remembrance Day observed?
(2014-15 and 2018-19), according to RBI? [a] January 27
[a] 972 [b] January 14
[b] 897 [c] January 15
[c] 789 [d] January 30
[d] 921 [e] January 12
[e] 480
Q.342) Who is the Secretary General of
Q.337) With which exchange has the the World Customs Organization?
Bombay Stock Exchange signed a licensing [a] Kunio Mikuriya
agreement to allow Indian market [b] David R. Malpass
participants access rupee-denominated [c] K.V. Kamath
Brent benchmark prices? [d] Mukhisa Kituyi
[a] Euronext [e] Tedros Adhanom
[b] Intercontinental Exchange Futures
Europe Q.343) How many countries are member
[c] Deutsche Börse of World Custom Organization?
[d] Stockholm Stock Exchange [a] 112
[e] Riga Stock Exchange [b] 127
[c] 197
Q.338) When was the modified LPG Pahal [d] 183
scheme launched? [e] 200
[a] 2013
[b] 2014

168
Q.344) Which of the following leader is [e] Billie Eilish for “When We All Fall
known as the “Punjab Kesari” and “Lion of Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Punjab”?
[a] Bhagat Singh Q.349) Which country will host the ICC
[b] Bhai Parmanand Men’s T20 World cup 2021?
[c] Bipin Chandra Pal [a] Australia
[d] Udham Singh [b] England
[e] Lala Lajpat Rai [c] Sri Lanka
[d] India
Q.345) Who has won the Outstanding [e] Bangladesh
British Contribution to Cinema Award
2020 by the BAFTA? Q.350) Who has won the Tata Steel
[a] Andrew Clement Serkis Masters chess tournament held in The
[b] George Clooney Netherlands?
[c] Jack Nicholson [a] Ding Liren
[d] Tom Hardy [b] Levon Aronian
[e] Robert Downey Jr. [c] Wesley So
[d] Fabiano Caruana
Q.346) Who has become the first [e] Vishwanath Anand
sportswoman (and second sports
personality after Sachin Tendulkar) to win Q.351) When was the Smart City Mission
Padma Vibushan? launched by Ministry of Urban
[a] Apurvi Chandela Development?
[b] Geeta Phogat [a] 2016
[c] Mary Kom [b] 2015
[d] Koneru Humpy [c] 2017
[e] P. V. Sindhu [d] 2018
[e] 2014
Q.347) With which field is Billie Eilish
related to? Q.352) Where is the Palpur Kuno wildlife
[a] Music sanctuary located?
[b] Dance [a] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Literature [b] Assam
[d] Journalism [c] Gujarat
[e] Sports [d] West Bengal
[e] Andhra Pradesh
Q.348) Which music album has won the
“Best Music Film” award at the 62nd Q.353) Where is the Tadoba-Andheri
Annual Grammy Awards 2020? Tiger Reserve located?
[a] Beyonce for “Homecoming” [a] West Bengal
[b] Tanya Tucker for “While I’m Livin” [b] Tripura
[c] Lizzo for “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)” [c] Madhya Pradesh
[d] Michelle Obama for “Becoming” [d] Arunachal Pradesh
[e] Maharashtra

169
 [e] Rakesh Sharma
Q.354) What is the name of the web
portal launched by ISRO to help in the Q.359) According to the First advance
development of Gram Panchayats and to estimate of Rabi crops released by the
help the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in its National Collateral Management Services,
village development processes? total Rabi food grain production in 2019-
[a] Srishti Panchayat Version 3.0 20 will be __?
[b] Bhuvan Panchayat Version 3.0 [a] 152.7 Million Tonnes
[c] Prithvi Panchayat Version 3.0 [b] 108.2 Million Tonnes
[d] Jagat Panchayat Version 3.0 [c] 132.4 Million Tonnes
[e] Dhara Panchayat Version 3.0 [d] 147.9 Million Tonnes
[e] 139.8 Million Tonnes
Q.355) Which state has recently got its
first as "Ramsar" wetland site at Nandur Q.360) According to the first advance
Madhameshwar? estimates of horticulture production in
[a] Rajasthan 2019-20 released by Ministry of
[b] Maharashtra Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, total
[c] Gujarat production of horticulture crops is
[d] Tamil Nadu expected to be ___ million tonnes?
[e] Kerala [a] 313.35
[b] 299.95
Q.356) How many Ramsar Wetlands sites [c] 287.05
are present in India? [d] 563.35
[a] 40 [e] 407.57
[b] 37
[c] 10 Q.361) According to the first advance
[d] 13 estimates of horticulture production in
[e] 27 2019-20 released by Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, potato
Q.357) When was the Ramsar Convention production is expected to be ___?
for the conservation and sustainable use [a] 52 MT
of wetlands signed? [b] 41 MT
[a] 1971 [c] 75 MT
[b] 1989 [d] 40 MT
[c] 1978 [e] 60 MT
[d] 1967
[e] 1958 Q.362) Who heads the panel formed by
SEBI to strengthen the monitoring and
Q.358) Who is the CEO of National enforcement of norms pertaining to
Institute for Smart Governance? related party transactions?
[a] A S Rajeev [a] Ramesh Srinivasan
[b] G. Padmanabhan [b] Atul Kumar Goel
[c] J. Rama Krishna Rao [c] Ashok Kumar Pradhan
[d] Pallav Mohapatra [d] Suresh Sethi

170
[e] G. Rajkiran Rai
Q.363) In which company will the Small
Industries Development Bank of India sell
its minority stake of 8.13% for about Rs
4,500 crore?
[a] Indiabulls Housing Finance
[b] Bandhan Financial Services Ltd
[c] Power Finance Corporation
[d] Muthoot Finance
[e] Motilal Oswal Group
Q.364) According to the first advance
estimates of horticulture production in
2019-20 released by Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, onion
production is expected to rise by ___?
[a] 7%
[b] 9%
[c] 5%
[d] 10%
[e] 15%
Q.365) According to the First advance
estimate of Rabi crops has been released
by the National Collateral Management
Services, wheat production is expected to
be ___ million tonnes?
[a] 109.03
[b] 130.40
[c] 102.45
[d] 149.13
[e] 112.90
Q.366) Recently, Indian Navy has
launched the Operation Vanilla in the
Southern Indian Ocean to help the people
of __ who are affected by Cyclone Diane?
[a] Madagascar
[b] Seychelles
[c] Comoros
[d] Fiji
[e] Mauritius
171
Q.367) National Commission for
homeopathy bill, 2019 aims to replace the
_____?
[a] Homeopathy Central Council act, 1979
[b] Homeopathy Central Council act, 1980
[c] Homeopathy Central Council act, 1959
[d] Homeopathy Central Council act, 1973
[e] Homeopathy Central Council act, 1960
Q.368) When did the Shah Commission
recommend to legalise abortion in India?
[a] 1993
[b] 1980
[c] 1970
[d] 1966
[e] 1965
Q.369) What is the new limit of legal
abortion propagated by the Medical
Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment)
Bill, 2020?
[a] 27 weeks
[b] 24 weeks
[c] 15 weeks
[d] 25 weeks
[e] 20 weeks
Q.370) Where was the 20th World
Sustainable Summit 2020 organized?
[a] New Delhi
[b] Bangalore
[c] Mumbai
[d] Chennai
[e] Chandigarh
Q.371) Which district has topped in the
NITI Aayog’s monthly delta rankings of
115 aspirational districts for December
2019?
[a] Belangir, Odisha
[b] Sahibganj, Jharkhand
[c] Hailakandi, Assam
[d] Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh
[e] YSR, Andhra Pradesh
 [e] Kolkata
Q.372) When was the Aspirational
districts programme launched by NITI Q.377) Which country is the world’s
Aayog? second-largest arms producer, according
[a] 2018 to the research of Stockholm International
[b] 2013 Peace Research Institute?
[c] 2016 [a] Russia
[d] 2014 [b] China
[e] 2015 [c] USA
[d] Israel
Q.373) How many districts have been [e] Australia
selected as the aspirational districts under
the Aspirational districts programme of Q.378) Which of the following statement
NITI Aayog? is true about the 1954 Hague Convention?
[a] 115 [a] It aims to protect the cultural
[b] 102 properties of countries during armed
[c] 145 conflict
[d] 171 [b] It aims to prevent the depletion of
[e] 120 ozone layer
[c] It aims to prevent or restrict the
Q.374) Where will the 34th Surajkund proliferation of nuclear weapons
International Crafts Fair be organized? [d] It aims to protect the ecosystem by
[a] Punjab restricting the proliferation of thermal
[b] Haryana energy
[c] Maharashtra [e] It aims to reduce the onset of global
[d] Gujarat warming by reducing greenhouse gas
[e] Kerala concentrations in the atmosphere

Q.375) Which is the best performing state Q.379) According to the World Steel
in India in terms of fulfilling SDG, Association’s data, India's crude steel
according to UN Development Program? production has increased by ___ per cent
[a] Karnataka in 2019?
[b] Chhattisgarh [a] 1.8%
[c] West Bengal [b] 3.4%
[d] Telangana [c] 2.7%
[e] Madhya Bengal [d] 2.1%
[e] 6.1%
Q.376) Which city has topped the 7th City
Momentum Index 2019 released by US- Q.380) Who has become the youngest
based Jones Lang Lasalle? leader in the world (he is the chancellor of
[a] Bengaluru Austria)?
[b] Chennai [a] Pedro Sánchez
[c] Hyderabad [b] Jacinda Ardern
[d] Delhi [c] Sebastian Kurz

172
[d] Édouard Philippe industry-academia collaboration for
[e] Giuseppe Conte developing high-tech solutions?
[a] India
Q.381) Where will the World’s largest [b] USA
meditation centre be opened? [c] Sri Lanka
[a] India [d] Belgium
[b] Hungary [e] Ukraine
[c] Austria
[d] Taiwan Q.385) With which state’s Handloom and
[e] Bulgaria Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd
has Flipkart signed an MoU for promoting
Q.382) Where has the India’s first and local handicrafts?
biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary been [a] Arunachal Pradesh
established? [b] Tripura
[a] Telangana [c] West Bengal
[b] Andhra Pradesh [d] Gujarat
[c] Odisha [e] Tamil Nadu
[d] Maharashtra
[e] West Bengal Q.386) With which country does India
conduct SAMPRITI military exercise?
Q.383) Which of the following statement [a] Sri Lanka
is true about the ‘Miyawaki’ method of [b] Philippines
agriculture? [c] USA
[a] It is a technique to grow maximum [d] Malaysia
trees in minimum area to increase [e] Bangladesh
biodiversity
[b] It is the process of crossing two Q.387) Which is the top Indian state in
genetically different individuals to result terms of best practices followed in budget
in a third individual with a different, often formulation, according to a survey by
preferred, set of traits Transparency International?
[c] It is a horticultural technique whereby [a] Assam
tissues of plants are joined so as to [b] Gujarat
continue their growth together [c] Maharashtra
[d] It is the agricultural practice of [d] Punjab
producing or growing a single crop, plant, [e] West Bengal
or livestock species, variety, or breed in a
field or farming system at a time Q.388) Who is the director-general of
[e] It is a type of farming which involves UNESCO?
both the growing of crops and the raising [a] Yukiya Amano
of livestock [b] Kumi Naidoo
[c] Mohammed Barkindo
Q.384) In which country has United [d] Audrey Azoulay
Kingdom launched the ‘Innovation [e] Peter O’Neill
Challenge Fund’ of £4 million to boost

173
Q.389) Recently, Indian Railways has south poles – is the result of NASA and
announced to put RFID tag on its coaches _____ collaboration?
to accurately trace the rolling stock of [a] RFSA – Russian Federation Space
railways (carrying freight and passengers) Agency
by 2021. What does ‘R’ stand for? [b] JAXA – Japan Aerospace Exploration
[a] Radial Agency
[b] Radio [c] ESA – European Space Agency
[c] Radius [d] CNSA – China National Space
[d] Rapid Administration
[e] Random [e] ISRO – Indian Space Research
Organisation
Q.390) Which of the following is not a
major wheat producing state? Q.394) Where is the headquarters of
[a] Punjab International Organization for Migration
[b] Rajasthan located?
[c] Uttar Pradesh [a] Switzerland
[d] Haryana [b] Netherlands
[e] Arunachal Pradesh [c] USA
[d] UK
Q.391) Which article of the Indian [e] France
constitution mentions that all minorities,
whether based on religion or language, Q.395) Which country has become the
shall have the right to establish and first nation in the International Solar
administer educational institutions of Alliance to get the services of NTPC as the
their choice? project management consultant for the
[a] Article 15 300 MW solar power project?
[b] Article 14 [a] Morocco
[c] Article 21 [b] Somalia
[d] Article 16 [c] Togo
[e] Article 30 [d] Djibouti
[e] Eritrea
Q.392) Which state witnessed the highest
number of sewer deaths in India at 234 Q.396) What is the capital of Togo?
between 1993-2019, according to the [a] Luanda
National Commission for Safai [b] Porto-Novo
Karamcharis’ data? [c] Gaborone
[a] Maharashtra [d] Lome
[b] Tamil Nadu [e] Praia
[c] Gujarat
[d] Assam Q.397) Who has been appointed as the
[e] Arunachal Pradesh Non-Executive Chairman of Vakrangee Ltd
on the recommendations of Kotak
Q.393) “Solar Orbiter” – a spacecraft to committee?
take first ever pictures of Sun’s north and [a] Gaurang Bhavsar

174
[b] Ishaan Chatterjee [a] Sanjana Kapoor
[c] Ramesh Joshi [b] Naseeruddin Shah
[d] Hemang Batra [c] Dilip Kumar
[e] Ishwar Gupta [d] Rekha
[e] Hema Malini
Q.398) How many members are a part of
the Monetary Policy Committee of RBI? Q.403) Who has won the PEN Gauri
[a] 6 Lankesh Award for 2019-20?
[b] 10 [a] Gaurav Arya
[c] 3 [b] Shereen Bhan
[d] 5 [c] Vikram Chandra
[e] 15 [d] Yusuf Jameel
[e] Preeti Choudhry
Q.399) When is the World Neglected
Tropical Diseases day observed? Q.404) Which country has topped the
[a] January 14 medal tally at the 71st International
[b] January 21 Boxing Tournament “Strandja” 2020?
[c] January 10 [a] Ukraine
[d] January 30 [b] Argentina
[e] January 19 [c] India
[d] Canada
Q.400) Who among the following has won [e] Japan
the 2020 Tyler Prize for Environmental
Achievement? Q.405) What is the capital of Bulgaria?
[a] Pavan Sukhdev [a] Sofia
[b] Greta Thunberg [b] Valletta
[c] Gretchen C. Daily [c] Baku
[d] Both A and C [d] Prague
[e] Both B and C [e] Nicosia

Q.401) Who has been appointed as the
new Foreign Secretary in Ministry of
External Affairs?
[a] Ajay Yadav
[b] Harsh Vardhan Shringla
[c] Anurag Singh Thakur
[d] Shambhu Kumar
[e] Binod Kumar
Q.402) Who has won the French honour
of ‘Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and
Letters) for his/her contribution to
theatre?
Q.406) Where is the headquarters of the
International Boxing Association located?
[a] Manila, Philippines
[b] Shanghai, China
[c] Jakarta, Indonesia
[d] Paris, France
[e] Lausanne, Switzerland
Q.407) India is going to host the Barca
Academy Cup - Asia Pacific 2020 for a
second consecutive time. With which
sport is Barca Academy Cup related to?
[a] Football
[b] Rugby

175
[c] Basketball [c] Russia
[d] Badminton [d] England
[e] Hockey [e] USA

Q.408) Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival of Q.413) What is the currency of

which state? Luxembourg?
[a] Andhra Pradesh [a] Euro
[b] Telangana [b] Dinar
[c] Odisha [c] Som
[d] Maharashtra [d] Yen
[e] West Bengal [e] Dollar

Q.409) Who is the writer of “Aaj ke Q.414) Who heads the committee set up
Shivaji: Narendra Modi” book? by govt to review the progress of Indian
[a] Jay Bhagwan Goyal Statistical Institute of Kolkata?
[b] Meenakshi Lekhi [a] R A Mashelkar
[c] Bina Agarwal [b] Piysuh Gupta
[d] Rashid Jahan [c] Anuradha Garg
[e] Devaki Jain [d] Ashish Jain
[e] Neha Goyal
Q.410) Where is the Mahadayi Wildlife
Sanctuary located? Q.415) What is the new GDP rate for
[a] Goa FY20, according to FICCI?
[b] Delhi [a] 6%
[c] Assam [b] 5.3%
[d] Arunachal Pradesh [c] 4.7%
[e] Himachal Pradesh [d] 5%
[e] 5.1%
Q.411) Who heads the committee formed
by govt for transforming the Indian Q.416) What is the growth rate for
Academy of Highway Engineers into a agriculture according to the 7th Economic
world class premier institute on highway Census of FY20?
sector? [a] 3.2%
[a] YS Malik [b] 2.8%
[b] Jagan Mohan [c] 4.1%
[c] B S Reddy [d] 3.4%
[d] Y K Mehrotra [e] 1.3%
[e] Piyush Duggal
Q.417) When is the world leprosy day
Q.412) Which is the theme country in the observed in India?
44th International Kolkata Book Fair [a] January 11
2020? [b] January 20
[a] France [c] January 15
[b] China [d] January 30

176
[e] January 12 [a] Sukhwinder Singh Gabbar
[b] Ken Pereira
Q.418) Who has won the World Games [c] Adam Froese
Athlete of the Year Award 2019 by [d] Partap Chauhan
International Hockey Federation? [e] Jiwa Mohan
[a] Lucas Vila
[b] Eli Matheson Q.420) Who is the writer of ‘Who killed
[c] Connor Grimes the Sunderbans?” book?
[d] Rani Rampal [a] Aravind Adiga
[e] Mark Pearson [b] Kiran Desai
[c] Vikram Seth
Q.419) Who has won the Ayurveda Ratan [d] Jeet Thayil
Award 2020 during the Ayurveda Day [e] Tushar Kanjilal
Celebration at the European Parliament?

1 A 61 A 121 A 181 A 241 C 301 B 361 A

2 B 62 C 122 E 182 A 242 A 302 A 362 A
3 A 63 A 123 B 183 A 243 B 303 D 363 B
4 B 64 A 124 A 184 A 244 A 304 C 364 A
5 A 65 E 125 B 185 A 245 E 305 A 365 A
6 A 66 B 126 C 186 A 246 A 306 A 366 A
7 D 67 D 127 A 187 C 247 D 307 A 367 D
8 E 68 A 128 B 188 B 248 B 308 A 368 D
9 C 69 A 129 D 189 C 249 A 309 D 369 B
10 C 70 B 130 D 190 A 250 D 310 E 370 A
11 B 71 E 131 A 191 A 251 A 311 A 371 D
12 A 72 A 132 A 192 C 252 C 312 A 372 A
13 B 73 E 133 B 193 A 253 E 313 A 373 A
14 C 74 B 134 A 194 D 254 A 314 E 374 B
15 C 75 A 135 A 195 A 255 A 315 A 375 D
16 A 76 A 136 D 196 C 256 C 316 D 376 C
17 A 77 C 137 C 197 B 257 B 317 E 377 B
18 A 78 A 138 A 198 A 258 A 318 B 378 A
19 A 79 C 139 D 199 C 259 A 319 A 379 A
20 B 80 A 140 A 200 A 260 B 320 A 380 C
21 B 81 B 141 A 201 B 261 A 321 A 381 A
22 A 82 A 142 A 202 D 262 A 322 A 382 D
23 E 83 B 143 A 203 B 263 C 323 A 383 A
24 A 84 B 144 A 204 A 264 A 324 A 384 A

177
 25 B 85 D 145 B 205 D 265 A 325 C 385 D
26 B 86 B 146 D 206 E 266 A 326 B 386 E
27 A 87 A 147 D 207 A 267 A 327 A 387 A
28 A 88 C 148 B 208 D 268 A 328 A 388 D
29 C 89 A 149 C 209 E 269 A 329 B 389 B
30 B 90 B 150 D 210 A 270 D 330 C 390 E
31 C 91 A 151 A 211 B 271 A 331 A 391 E
32 A 92 B 152 C 212 A 272 A 332 B 392 B
33 A 93 C 153 A 213 A 273 B 333 A 393 C
34 D 94 A 154 B 214 A 274 A 334 A 394 A
35 A 95 A 155 A 215 A 275 A 335 D 395 C
36 C 96 A 156 D 216 B 276 A 336 A 396 D
37 B 97 A 157 C 217 A 277 A 337 B 397 C
38 E 98 A 158 E 218 C 278 D 338 B 398 A
39 B 99 C 159 A 219 A 279 A 339 D 399 D
40 A 100 A 160 A 220 D 280 B 340 C 400 D
41 D 101 B 161 C 221 E 281 D 341 A 401 B
42 E 102 A 162 B 222 C 282 A 342 A 402 A
43 D 103 A 163 C 223 A 283 D 343 D 403 D
44 C 104 C 164 A 224 E 284 D 344 E 404 A
45 B 105 A 165 A 225 A 285 E 345 A 405 A
46 A 106 A 166 A 226 D 286 C 346 C 406 E
47 B 107 B 167 A 227 D 287 A 347 A 407 A
48 D 108 C 168 D 228 C 288 A 348 A 408 B
49 E 109 C 169 A 229 A 289 B 349 D 409 A
50 A 110 E 170 B 230 B 290 A 350 D 410 A
51 A 111 D 171 B 231 A 291 A 351 B 411 A
52 C 112 B 172 E 232 B 292 A 352 A 412 C
53 A 113 A 173 B 233 D 293 C 353 E 413 A
54 A 114 C 174 A 234 A 294 C 354 B 414 A
55 A 115 D 175 A 235 A 295 D 355 B 415 D
56 A 116 B 176 A 236 A 296 A 356 B 416 B
57 D 117 A 177 A 237 C 297 B 357 A 417 D
58 A 118 A 178 C 238 A 298 A 358 C 418 D
59 A 119 A 179 D 239 A 299 A 359 A 419 D
60 D 120 A 180 A 240 C 300 A 360 A 420 E

178
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