Current News and Affairs

Which one of the following Indian States has recently declared itself as the first rabies-free State ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Punjab” option2=”Himachal Pradesh” option3=”Tamil Nadu” option4=”Goa” correct=”option4″]

The correct answer is D. Goa was the first Indian State to officially declare itself rabies-free in July 2021.

The declaration was based on successful implementation of the ‘Mission Rabies’ project, which involved mass dog vaccination, public awareness campaigns, and surveillance.

Achieving rabies-free status requires demonstrating no indigenous human rabies cases and minimal animal cases over a sustained period, supported by effective surveillance and control measures.

Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympics medals at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. Which one of the following was her discipline ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Badminton” option2=”Shooting” option3=”Table Tennis” option4=”Archery” correct=”option2″]

Avani Lekhara is an Indian paralympic athlete who competes in shooting events. She won a gold medal (10m Air Rifle Standing SH1) and a bronze medal (50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1) at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, becoming the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals.

Her discipline is shooting.

Avani Lekhara’s achievements at the Tokyo Paralympics were historic for India, highlighting the success of Indian athletes in shooting events at the highest level.

Who among the following was chosen for the Kuvempu Award 2020 ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Dr. Rajendra Kishore Panda” option2=”Amitav Ghosh” option3=”Vikram Seth” option4=”Chetan Bhagat” correct=”option1″]

The Kuvempu Award for the year 2020 was conferred upon the renowned Odia poet, Dr. Rajendra Kishore Panda.

The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar is a national award instituted in memory of the great Kannada poet Kuvempu, given for contributions to Indian literature in any language recognized by the Constitution of India.

The award carries a cash prize, a memento, and a citation. Dr. Rajendra Kishore Panda is a highly respected figure in modern Odia poetry.

Which one of the following Indian Ocean island nations has recently declared a state of environmental emergency due to oil spill from a grounded ship?

[amp_mcq option1=”Maldives” option2=”Mauritius” option3=”Madagascar” option4=”Sri Lanka” correct=”option2″]

In August 2020, the grounding of the Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio off the coast of Mauritius resulted in a large oil spill, prompting the country to declare a state of environmental emergency.

The MV Wakashio oil spill incident severely impacted the marine ecosystem around Mauritius.

Maldives, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka are other Indian Ocean island nations, but the specific environmental emergency due to the MV Wakashio oil spill occurred in Mauritius.

In August 2020, who among the following was administered the oath as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time?

[amp_mcq option1=”Gotabaya Rajapaksa” option2=”Basil Rajapaksa” option3=”Mahinda Rajapaksa” option4=”Namal Rajapaksa” correct=”option3″]

Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time on August 9, 2020, following the victory of his party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), in the parliamentary elections.

This refers to a significant political event in a neighboring country in 2020.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is his brother and was the President of Sri Lanka at the time. Basil Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa are also prominent political figures from the same family.

Who among the following has won the Singles Title in Wimbledon Tennis Championship (Women) in the year 2019?

[amp_mcq option1=”Karolina Pliskova” option2=”Simona Halep” option3=”Serena Williams” option4=”Naomi Osaka” correct=”option2″]

Simona Halep of Romania won the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title in 2019. She defeated Serena Williams in the final.

This question refers to a specific sports event winner from 2019.

Serena Williams was the runner-up. Karolina Pliskova and Naomi Osaka are also prominent tennis players, but they did not win the 2019 Wimbledon Women’s Singles title.

Recently a rare kind of yellow turtle was discovered in India. The State in which it was seen is

[amp_mcq option1=”Uttarakhand” option2=”Odisha” option3=”Tamil Nadu” option4=”Arunachal Pradesh” correct=”option2″]

A rare yellow-coloured Indian Flapshell Turtle (Lissemys punctata) was discovered in the Balasore district of Odisha in July 2020.

– This unique colouration is believed to be due to a congenital mutation called albinism or partial albinism (chromatic leucism), where there is little or no pigmentation.
– The species found was the Indian Flapshell Turtle, common in South Asia.

– The discovery gained significant media attention due to the turtle’s unusual bright yellow colour.
– Such colour mutations are rare in the wild as they can affect an animal’s ability to camouflage and evade predators.

Who among the following is the architect of the Ram Temple being constructed at Ayodhya?

[amp_mcq option1=”P. O. Sompura” option2=”Chandrakant Sompura” option3=”Brinda Somaya” option4=”B. V. Doshi” correct=”option2″]

The architect of the Ram Temple being constructed at Ayodhya is Chandrakant Sompura. He belongs to the Sompura family, traditionally known for designing temples. His father, P. O. Sompura, had initially prepared a design for the temple.

– Chandrakant Sompura designed the current structure of the Ram Temple.
– The Sompura family has a long history of temple architecture.

While P. O. Sompura created an earlier design, Chandrakant Sompura is credited with the design being used for the actual construction. Brinda Somaya is a contemporary Indian architect known for sustainable architecture and urban conservation. B. V. Doshi was a renowned Indian architect, a Pritzker Prize laureate, known for his contributions to Indian architecture, but not associated with the design of the Ayodhya Ram Temple.

The recent explosion near OIL well in Baghjan is due to

[amp_mcq option1=”removing the spool during the blowout control operations” option2=”transfer of oil from its depot to a pipeline” option3=”the leakage of methyl isocyanide” option4=”the leakage of radiations from radioactive substance” correct=”option1″]

The explosion near the OIL well in Baghjan, Assam, followed a major blowout (uncontrolled release of gas and oil) that occurred weeks earlier. While the initial blowout caused a leak, the subsequent massive fire and explosion occurred during operations attempting to control the blowout. Specifically, reports indicated the explosion happened during activities like removing the spool, which were part of the complex capping operation. This operation likely involved managing high-pressure gas and oil, and removing components could have triggered ignition or intensified the existing fire leading to the explosion.

– The incident started with a blowout (uncontrolled gas/oil release).
– A fire subsequently erupted.
– The major explosion occurred during complex operations to control the blowout and cap the well.

This incident, which began in May 2020 with the blowout, led to a prolonged crisis involving environmental damage, displacement of locals, and loss of life, alongside the challenge of capping the well fire which raged for several months. Option C refers to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (methyl isocyanide leakage), and Option D is unrelated to oil well incidents. Option B is irrelevant to a well blowout and subsequent fire/explosion.

Which one of the following Indian institutes was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for conducting human trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine candidate?

[amp_mcq option1=”Bharat Biotech” option2=”AIIMS” option3=”Serum Institute of India” option4=”National Institute of Epidemiology” correct=”option3″]

The Serum Institute of India (SII), based in Pune, was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials in India for the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine candidate, known as Covishield. SII had a partnership with AstraZeneca for the manufacturing and supply of the vaccine in India and globally.

– The question specifically asks about the Indian institute approved for *conducting human trials* of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate.
– Serum Institute of India was the primary partner in India for the manufacturing and trials of this specific vaccine.

Bharat Biotech developed its own indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin. AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and other institutions are involved in clinical trials of various vaccines but Serum Institute of India was the lead partner for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trials in India. The National Institute of Epidemiology is primarily involved in epidemiological research.