1. Which of the following has acquired 6.43 per cent stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares?
a. SBI
b. ARCIL
c. Lake Investments
d. HDFC
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• Mortgage lender HDFC has acquired 6.43 per cent stake in debt-trapped Reliance Capital by invoking pledged shares.
• These shares were acquired pursuant to invocation of pledge by security trustee on behalf of the corporation, which was pledged against a loan given by the lender in its normal course of business, HDFC Ltd said in a regulatory filing.
• Following this, the company acquired 25.27 crore shares of Rs 10 each, it said, adding that the total value of these shares are Rs 252 crore.
• It further said the requisite disclosure had already been made on March 27, and since the shares have now been credited to the account of the Corporation, the disclosure was being made once again.
2. Which of the following developed Ultraviolet disinfection tower "UV Blaster”?
a. LASTEC
b. ICMR
c. CSIR
d. Niti Aayog
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• An Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection tower has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is designed and developed by the Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC).
• LASTEC is a Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO and the equipment was developed along with the help of New Age Instruments and Materials Private Limited, Gurugram.
• It will help in the chemical-free and rapid disinfection of high infection-prone areas. The UV Blaster will be helpful in the disinfection of high tech surfaces such as computers, electronic equipment, and other forms of gadgets in laboratories and offices. These are the items that are not suitable for disinfection through chemical methods.
• The product will also be useful for the areas with a large flow of people such as metros, airports, shopping malls, hotels, factories, offices, etc.
• The tower is known as ‘UV Blaster’ which is a UV based area sanitizer.
• The equipment has six lamps each with 43 watts of UV-C power at 254 nm wavelength for 360-degree illumination. For a room of about 12 x 12 feet dimension, the disinfection time is about 10 minutes and 30 minutes for 400 square feet area by positioning the equipment at different places within the room.
3. Which country cancelled premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020?
a. Australia
b. United States
c. Germany
d. Israel
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Australia has informed India that their premier multilateral air combat training exercise Pitch Black 2020 scheduled from July 27 to August 14 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.
• This was conveyed by Air Marshal Meg Hupfeld, Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), in a letter to Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, in mid-April.
• Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial warfare exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• The aim of the exercise is to practice Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and Defensive Counter Air (DCA) combat, in a simulated war environment.
• In the last edition of Pitch Black in 2018, the IAF for the first time participated with its Su-30MKI fighters, one C-130 and one C-17 transport aircraft.
• It provided a unique opportunity for an exchange of knowledge and experience with these nations in a dynamic warfare environment.
• The next edition of Pitch Black is scheduled in 2022.
4. Who has been appointed as chairman and managing director of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) ?
a. Lokesh Meena
b. Narendra Das Meena
c. Shiv Das Meena
d. Naresh Meena
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, additional secretary, Shiv Das Meena has been appointed as chairman and managing director of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for a period of six months with immediate effect.
5. Which of the following has been appointed as the consultant for Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for facilitation of early operationalisation of coal mines allocated by the Central Government ?
a. KPMG
b. PWC
c. Bains Consulting
d. Ernst and Young
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Ministry of Coal (MoC) launched a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) for facilitation of early operationalisation of coal mines allocated by the Central Government.
• This is an important step forward to promote Ease of Doing Business as it will hand-hold and support Coal mines allocatees in obtaining timely approval/permissions to operationalise the mines.
• This will lead to ramping up of coal production in the country.
• This move is also expected to go a long way in attracting bidders for the ensuing auction round of commercial blocks. This measure will improve production and business environment in the coal industry.
• KPMG, has been appointed as the Consultant, in Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) through a transparent bidding process.
