1. What was India’s rank in the World Press Freedom Index 2020?
a. 142
b. 121
c. 140
d. 139
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• India has ranked 142 out of 180 in the Global press freedom index.
• The report was released on April 21 in the annual Reporters without borders analysis.
• Norway has ranked first in the list for the fourth year while China is at 177 position, which is just three places above North Korea at 180th.
• ‘World Press Freedom Index 2020’ stated as there were no murders of journalists in India in 2019 as compared to 6 in 2018, it showed that the security system in India seemed to have improved.
• Reporters without borders is a non-profit organisation that works to document attacks on journalists around the world. South Asia is generally featured poorly in the index.
2. Who has been named as the new ambassador of WWF India?
a. Virat Kohli
b. Viswanathan Anand
c. Anushka Sharma
d. Rohit Sharma
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• Chess legend Viswanathan Anand has been named as the new ambassador for World Wide Fund (WWF) India's Environment Education program.
• The five-time World Chess Champion will support wildlife conservation and work to educate children across India on issues related to the environment.
• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) was constituted in 1961.
• The NGO has its headquarters in Vaud, Switzerland. It works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. WWF India has become the world's largest conservation organization.
3. Which of the following has created a Team Mask Force to lend its support to the government and promoting the use of masks to fight the infectious disease COVID-19?
a. BCCI
b. Star World
c. FICCI
d. CINTA
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Lending its support to the government and promoting the use of masks to fight the infectious disease COVID-19, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has created a video titled ‘mask force’.
• The video featuring India’s most revered cricketers including Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid urges fellow countrymen to join the team mask force and help the nation fight against the novel coronavirus.
4. Which of the following Indian states commemorated ‘ Khongjom Day’ on 23 April 2020?
a. Tripura
b. Manipur
c. Mizoram
d. Arunachal Pradesh
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• In Manipur, remembering the people who valiantly fought in the Anglo-Manipuri War in 1891, state government commemorated ‘ Khongjom Day’ on 23 April 2020.
• The Anglo-Manipur was an armed conflict between the British Government and the Kingdom of Manipur. The war was fought between 31 March and 27 April 1981. It resulted in victory of British.
• The Khongjom Day, being a state holiday is celebrated every year on April 23 by the State government to pay tribute to the war heroes of Anglo-Manipuri War 1891 who had sacrificed their lives fighting against the British to protect freedom of Manipur. The site is about 35 KM south of Imphal in Thoubal district where the battle was fight between Manipuri and British.
5. When was the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day observed?
a. 27 April
b. 22 April
c. 21 April
d. 26 April
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on 26 April.
• The day aims to raise awareness of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general.
• The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1977. It was built to help make electricity for the infrastructure of the Soviet Union (present Pripyat, Ukraine) to develop economic growth. On 26 April 1986, a reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant experienced a catastrophic explosion and fire.
• It released unprecedented levels of radioactive materials into the atmosphere.
• The accident caused a relatively small number of casualties but left long-lasting, damaging consequences. The main danger that caused radiation exposure to over 8.4 million people was due to air pollution.
• The day was first observed in 2016 with an aim to teach people about the history of this incident, observe the consequences of what happened, and prevent future events from happening again.
