1.Who has been appointed the new Special Secretary in Union commerce ministry?
[A] Binoy Kumar
[B] Avinash K. Srivastava
[C] A.R.K. Kini
[D] Aruna Sundararajan
Correct Answer: A [Binoy Kumar]
Explanation:
Binoy Kumar, a 1983-batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre, has been appointed the new Special Secretary in commerce ministry. He is the Director General of Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), the procurement arm of the central government that closed on October 31. The closure of the DGS&D follows the governments shift to the commerce ministry’s e-market platform (GeM) launched in 2016 for public procurement of goods and services. DGS&D has its origin in the India Stores Department, which was established in 1860 in London by the British for a centralised purchase of goods for India.
2.India has pledged to contribute how much amount to UN partnership fund at the 2017 UN Pledging Conference for Development Activities?
[A] $125 million
[B] $100 million
[C] $119 million
[D] $108 million
Correct Answer: B [$100 million]
Explanation:
India has pledged additional $100 million towards India-UN Development Partnership Fund to help the poorest nations achieve the world organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce poverty and raise the quality of life. This contribution would be in addition to $10.582 million India is contributing to various other UN programmes. Anjani Kumar, a Counsellor in India’s UN Mission, announced the multi-year contribution at the 2017 UN Pledging Conference for Development Activities on November 6, 2017.
3.Where is the headquarters of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)?
[A] Paris
[B] Geneva
[C] Washington DC
[D] Warsaw
Correct Answer: C [Washington DC]
Explanation:
Recently, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has released a global investigation ‘The Paradise Papers’ that reveals the offshore interests and activities of some of the world’s most powerful people and companies, including information about at least 31,000 persons or parties. India ranked 19th out of the 180 countries represented in the data in terms of the number of names. The vast of financial data could expose the secret wealth of hundreds of rich Indians, including politicians, corporate heavyweights and entertainment leaders, who are suspected to have used offshore tax havens to dodge taxes. In all, there are 714 Indians in the tally in biggest offshore data leak for alleged tax evasion. The headquarters of the ICIJ is located at Washington DC, United States.
4.India has signed how much amount of loan agreement with the World Bank (WB) for Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence and Equity (OHEPEE) Project?
[A] $111 million
[B] $119 million
[C] $131 million
[D] $122 million
Correct Answer: B [$119 million]
Explanation:
India has signed $119 million of financial agreement with the World Bank (WB) for Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence and Equity (OHEPEE) project. The purpose of the project is to improve the quality of ‘students’ equitable access to selected institutions and enhance governance of the higher education system in Odisha. The closing date for the project is 30th November, 2022.
5.The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is located in which state?
[A] Odisha
[B] Jharkhand
[C] West Bengal
[D] Tripura
Correct Answer: D [Tripura]
Explanation:
The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is located in South Tripura District of Tripura and covers an area of about 163.08 square kilometres. It has a number of perennial water rivulets, water bodies and grass land. In this sanctuary, there are patches of virgin forests which are rich in rare vegetation. Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary. Apart from it, there are varieties of Birds, Deers, Hollock Gibbon, Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Pheasant and many other animals and reptiles.
