1. Which is the first Indian state to have registered cases of African Swine Flu in pigs?
a. Punjab
b. Assam
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Nagaland
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• The Assam government said the first instance of African Swine Flu has been detected in the state and it has already killed around 2,500 pigs across 306 villages.
• The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, has confirmed that it is African Swine Flu (ASF). The virus spreads through pig's meat, saliva, blood and tissue. So there will be no transportation of pigs between districts.
• Despite a go-ahead from the Centre, the state government will not resort to culling of the pigs immediately and will adopt an alternate mechanism to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.
• The disease has no relation at all with COVID-19.
• The disease was detected during the last part of February. However, it started in April 2019 in China at a village of Xizang province bordering Arunachal Pradesh. It is suspected that the disease crossed over to Arunachal Pradesh and then reached Assam.
2. Which is the first state in India to provide free health insurance scheme to all citizens?
a. Maharashtra
b. Haryana
c. Punjab
d. Kerala
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Maharashtra is the first state in India to provide free health insurance scheme to all citizens.
• Amid coronavirus outbreak, Maharashtra government announced free health insurance scheme to all its citizens.
• Under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, people in the state can avail the benefits of free and cashless health insurance. Documents such as ration card and domicile certificate are essential to apply for the scheme.
3. Which country will launch Arktika-M satellite for monitoring Arctic climate this year?
a. United Kingdom
b. Russia
c. China
d. France
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• Russia will be launching its first Arktika-M satellite to monitor the Arctic climate and environment later this year.
• The Arktika M is a series of planned remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites that Russia plans to operate in a highly elliptical 12-hour orbit.
• It will help collect meteorological data from the polar regions of the Earth. The data will help improve weather forecasts and enable scientists to better study climate change.
• Russia’s territory stretches along the Arctic Ocean for thousands of km and the nation faces many challenges while trying to balance the economic development and environmental protection of its northern regions.
4. Which of the following banks have released a collaborative song titled #HumHaarNahiMaanenge?
a. HDFC bank
b. SBI
c. Axis bank
d. Dena Bank
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• To keep up hopes up amidst the ongoing national lockdown and coronavirus pandemic, HDFC Bank released a collaborative song titled #HumHaarNahiMaanenge (We will not lose).
• Composed by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning musician AR Rahman, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, the song is “a tribute to the indomitable spirit of India and millions of Indians who are standing together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic”.
5. Under the Saras Collection on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, how many categories of products can be listed by the Self Help Groups (SHGs)?
a. Five
b. Four
c. Three
d. Seven
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• The Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, launched “The Saras Collection” on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal.
• It is a unique initiative of GeM and the DeenDayalAntyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development.
• It showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups (SHGs) and aims to provide SHGs in rural areas with market access to Central and State Government buyers.
• Under this initiative, the SHG sellers will be able to list their products in 5 product categories, namely (i) handicrafts, (ii) handloom and textiles, (iii) office accessories, (iv) grocery and pantry, and (v) personal care and hygiene.
• DAY-NLRM aims to reduce poverty through promotion of diversified and gainful self-employment while creating skilled wage employment opportunities.
• Government e Marketplace (GeM) is a 100 percent Government owned online and end to end solution y set up as the National Public Procurement Portal for procurement of goods and services required by Central and State Government organizations.
