Current Affairs Quiz Set 93

  1. In which of the following countries is the 'Bada Dashain' being celebrated?

 

  1. Nepal
  2. Sri Lanka
  3. Maldives
  4. Bhutan

S-a

E-

  • 'Bada Dashain' the biggest and longest festival observed by Hindus began in Nepal on September 29.
  • The first day of the festival started with sowing of barley, wheat, maize, paddy seeds and by offering prayers in the temples.
  • It is celebrated by keeping earthen pot at sacred spots in houses or in temples.
  • The shoots sprouted from the seedling are taken out on the 10th day and wore along with 'tika', on final day known as 'Vijaya Dashami'.

 

  1. Which of the following countries won the SAFF U-18 Championship 2019?

 

  1. India
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Sri Lanka
  4. Nepal

S-a

E-

  • India U-18 defeated Bangladesh by 2-1 in the final of SAFF U-18 Championship 2019 to lift the title.

 

  1. Who among the following was conferred with the 'India's Most Powerful Women in Media' award?

 

  1. Barkha Dutt
  2. Kallie Purie
  3. Smriti Irani
  4. Aditi Puri

S-b

E-

  • India Today Group Vice-Chairperson Kalli Purie was conferred with the 'India's Most Powerful Women in Media' award at the famed Confluence Excellence awards.
  • Kalli Purie received the award at the British Parliament on September 27.

 

  1. Which of the following states bagged the Niti Aayog’s School Education Quality Index (SEQI) in the large state category?

 

  1. Kerala
  2. Punjab
  3. Haryana
  4. Gujarat

S-a

E-

  • Government think tank NITI Aayog has released its school education quality index (SEQI) with Kerala bagging top honours.
  • The report evaluates the performance of large and small states and union territories (UTs) in the country, with an aim to identify and tackle policy problems if any. The evaluation process is based on 30 indicators.
  • These were largely grouped into 'Outcomes' (learning, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity) and 'Governance Processes Aiding Outcomes' (student and teacher attendance, teacher availability, administrative adequacy, training, accountability and transparency).
  • In the large states category, Kerala (76.63 percent), Rajasthan (72.86 percent), Karnataka (69.57 percent), Andhra Pradesh (67.88 percent), and Gujarat rounded up the top five positions.

 

  1. Which of the following states bagged the Niti Aayog’s School Education Quality Index (SEQI) in the Union Territory category?

 

  1. Chandigarh
  2. Jammu & Kashmir
  3. Dadra Nagar and Haveli
  4. Delhi

S-a

E-  

  • Government think tank NITI Aayog has released its school education quality index (SEQI) with Kerala bagging top honours.
  • The report evaluates the performance of large and small states and union territories (UTs) in the country, with an aim to identify and tackle policy problems if any. The evaluation process is based on 30 indicators.
  • These were largely grouped into 'Outcomes' (learning, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity) and 'Governance Processes Aiding Outcomes' (student and teacher attendance, teacher availability, administrative adequacy, training, accountability and transparency).
  • Chandigarh (82.9 percent) topped among the UTs, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli (58.99 percent) and Delhi (48.96 percent).

 

  1. According to the Quality Control of India (QCI), which of the following is the cleanest railways station of India?

 

  1. Jodhpur
  2. Jaipur
  3. Udaipur
  4. New Delhi

S-b

E-

  • Tourist destinations Jodhpur and Jaipur, both in Rajasthan, have clinched the top two spots in the railway station cleanliness survey conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) for Indian Railways. A majority of the top stations were in Rajasthan, which comes under North Western Railway.
  • The survey, Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat, declared Jodhpur the cleanest railway station in the A1 category, followed by Jaipur and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). Among the category A stations, Marwar (Rajasthan) was adjudged the best, followed by Phulera (Rajasthan) and Warangal (Telangana).
  • The third party audit-cum-survey report studied 407 stations, including 75 A1- and 332 A-category stations. About 70% stations scored 700 or more out of 1,000. The stations were ranked on the basis of the survey and audit by the 160-member QCI-trained team. The railway stations were judged on the basis of cleanliness across the premises, including the main entrance, platforms, toilets, waiting rooms and parking facilities. The evaluation comprised direct observation of QCI assessors and passenger feedback. Besides, a 24x7 control room was set up and images were geo-tagged to monitor the progress.

 

  1. Who among the following was conferred with Global Education Leaders Award 2018?

 

  1. Sonakshi Gulati
  2. Smita Gulati
  3. Saroj Suman Gulati
  4. Sonakshi Gulati

S-c

E-

  • Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati, Director, Blue Bells Group of Schools has been conferred with the coveted Global Education Leaders Award 2018 by His Highness Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, member of the Cabinet and Minister of State for Tolerance, UAE.

 

  1. Who among the following has been awarded the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award?

 

  1. Harish Salve
  2. Farhan Qureshi
  3. Asma Jahangir
  4. Azizbek Ashurov

S-d

E-

  • Lawyer Azizbek Ashurov is the winner of the 2019 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.
  • His work has supported the efforts of the Kyrgyz Republic in becoming the first country in the world to end statelessness.
  • Azizbek Ashurov, through his organization Ferghana Valley Lawyers Without Borders (FVLWB), has helped well over 10,000 people to gain Kyrgyz nationality after they became stateless following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Among them, some 2,000 children will now have the right to an education and a future with the freedom to travel, marry and work.
  • UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award honours extraordinary service to the forcibly displaced.
  • The award includes a commemorative medal and a US$150,000 monetary prize generously donated by the governments of Switzerland and Norway.

 

  1. Where will be the first National Sports University of India situated?

 

  1. Arunachal Pradesh
  2. Mizoram
  3. Manipur
  4. Assam

S-d

  • E- National Sports University is a sports university situated in Manipur in India.

 

  1. Where is the largest Charkha of India situated?

 

  1. Bengaluru
  2. Mumbai
  3. Delhi
  4. Hyderabad

S-b

E-

  • India's largest 'charkha' (spinning wheel) made of used plastic waste was inaugurated here on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The 1,650-kg spinning wheel was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani. The spinning wheel has been installed in Sector 94 near the Mahamaya flyover.
  • The 'charkha', which symbolises Gandhi's dream of Swadeshi (self- sufficing and self -reliance), measures 14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic.

 

  1. From where was the train Sarbat Da Bhala flagged off?

 

  1. Sultanpur Lodhi
  2. New Delhi
  3. Pune
  4. Lucknow

 

S-b

E-

  • Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal flagged off 'Sarbat Da Bhala Express' at New Delhi railway station.
  • The renamed New Delhi-Ludhiana Intercity will ply from Delhi to Lohian Khas via holy city Sultanpur Lodhi.
  • The request to rename the train was made by Union Minister Harsimrat Badal on the occasion of the 550th Parkash Purb celebrations.

 

  1. Which state cabinet has recently approved establishing a Sports University?

 

  1. Delhi
  2. Punjab
  3. Telangana
  4. Andhra Pradesh

S-a

E-

  • Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the “Delhi Sports University” will offer field-specific degrees to interested students.
  • This would be at par with those offered in other courses at graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.
  • Earlier, a sportsperson used to be uncertain about his future, just for the fact that if the person is not able to establish a career in sports, she/he will just be called a school pass out. She/he would not get a job because every job requires at least a graduation degree to get through. This sports university will grant you a degree in sports such as cricket, and hockey. It will be a one-of-a kind university in India.

 

  1. In which of the following cities have the scientists discovered a river that linked the Ganga and Yamuna rivers?

 

  1. Nabha
  2. Sonipat
  3. Prayagram
  4. Varansi

S-c

E-

  • The Jal Shakti Ministry has excavated an old, dried-up river in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) that linked the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The “ancient buried river” is around 4 km wide, 45 km long, consisted of a 15metre-thick layer buried under soil.
  • It joins the Yamuna River at Durgapur village, about 26 km south of the current Ganga-Yamuna confluence at Prayagraj. It can be developed as a potential groundwater recharge source
  • A channel that is no longer part of an active river system and has ceased to be a conduit of water is commonly referred to as a palaeochannel.
  • Some of the channels lie buried under the cover of younger sediments.

 

  1. Which of the following portals has been launched to improve coal supply to power plants?

 

  1. Prakash
  2. Roshni
  3. Roshan
  4. Ujala

S-a

E-

  • The government launched a web portal, Prakash, with a view to improving coordination between the power, coal and railway ministries to ensure coal supplies to power plants.
  • Prakash stands for ‘Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony’.
  • The portal was jointly launched by power minister RK Singh and coal minister Pralhad Joshi.
  • Apart from mapping coal stocks in mines, the portal will also help stakeholders monitor the movement of railway rakes and coal availability at power plants.

 

  1. In which of the following Indian states four 2600 year old walls have been discovered?

 

  1. Tamil Nadu
  2. Andhra Pradesh
  3. Madhya Pradesh
  4. Arunachal Pradesh

S: a

E:

  • The fifth phase of the ongoing excavation at the archaeological site in Keeladi in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu has unearthed, over a period of one month, a total of four brick walls dating back to the Sangam age.
  • The State Archeology Department unearthed four walls which are 2,600 years old at the site. The fifth phase of excavation that began in June is likely to close this month. Excavation work in Keeladi village has been conducted on behalf of the Central Archeology Department since 2015.
  • The excavations carried out in the village on the banks of Vaigai river unearthed artefacts which have been found to be dating back to Sangam civilization.
  • The second phase was conducted in 2016 and phase three in 2017. The government of Tamil Nadu undertook the fourth phase of the excavation in 2018 as various parties insisted on continuing the investigation. So far, 14,500 items were unearthed. Funds have been allocated to construct a trench to protect them.