Current Affairs Quiz: 19 September 2018
1. North Korea signed an agreement with which nation on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula?
a) South Korea
b) Russia
c) United States of America
d) China
2. Which Ministry has launched ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of security clearance to private firms?
a) Ministry of Corporate Affairs
b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
c) Ministry of Home Affairs
d) Ministry of Finance
3. India has signed a MoU to construct 5000 metric ton temp controlled warehouse with which nation?
a) Myanmar
b) Nepal
c) Sri Lanka
d) Bangladesh
4. Which country has offered expats residency after retirement to boost growth?
a) Saudi Arabia
b) UAE
c) Qatar
d) Oman
5. Which country carried out its first submarine drill in disputed South China Sea?
a) Philippines
b) Taiwan
c) Vietnam
d) Japan
6. Which digital payment gateway has been given RBI approval to operate its own NBFC?
a) Freecharge
b) PayTM
c) PayU
d) Tez
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched the construction of Product Pipeline Project with which country to transport diesel?
a) Sri Lanka
b) Nepal
c) Bangladesh
d) Bhutan
8. The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar is an initiative of which Ministry?
a) Ministry of Human Resource Development
b) Ministry of Home Affairs
c) Ministry of Social Welfare
d) Ministry of Culture
9. Who will be the first private tourist to travel to moon on Space X Big Falcon Rocket?
a) Elon Musk
b) Bill Gates
c) Christopher Nolan
d) Yusaku Maezawa
10. The Union Government proposed to merge which banks to create India’s third largest lender?
a) Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank
b) Vijaya Bank, PNB and RBL Bank
c) RBL Bank, Indian Bank and IDBI Bank
d) IDBI Bank, Bank of Baroda and Dena Bank
11. Which Indian personality was inducted into the board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)?
a) Krishna Rastogi
b) Subramanya Jaishankar
c) Gopal Chatkraborty
d) Rajneesh Kumar
12. Which state launched ‘Star-Rating’ system for industries to check air pollution?
a) Bihar
b) Jharkhand
c) Odisha
d) Punjab
Answers with Explanation
1. (a) South Korea
In a historic move, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on September 19, 2018 signed an agreement on denuclearisation, reducing military tensions and defusing crisis on the Korean peninsula.
2. (c) Ministry of Home Affairs
The Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on September 18, 2018 launched an online portal – ‘e-Sahaj’ for grant of security clearance to private firms. The portal will enable individuals and private companies to submit applications and view their status online. The Home Affairs Ministry is the nodal Ministry for security clearances in certain sensitive sectors.
3. (c) Sri Lanka
India and Sri Lanka on September 17, 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature controlled warehouse in Dambulla of Central Province. The warehouse will be constructed with an Indian grant assistance of 30 crore Sri Lankan rupees.
4. (b) UAE
The United Arab Emirates will allow foreigners to obtain extended residency visas after they retire, in a major policy shift designed to give expatriates a bigger stake in the economy and foster longer-term growth. The foreign residents from around the globe make up more than 80 percent of the UAE.’s population and have for decades been a mainstay of its economy.
5. (d) Japan
Japan has carried out its first submarine drill in the South China Sea, a move that could provoke Beijing which claims most of the disputed waters. China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in shipping trade passes annually, despite competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
6. (c) PayU
PayU India has received Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval to operate its own non-banking financial company (NBFC). The move will help PayU promote inclusive growth in the country by catering to the diverse financial needs of various segments of the society.
7. (c) Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on September 18, 2018 jointly launched the construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Product Pipeline Project through video conferencing. The 130-kilometre pipeline will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.
8. (a) Ministry of Human Resource Development
The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar will confer the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2017-18 on September 18, 2018 at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar was launched in 2016-17 by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry for Human Resource Development.
9. (d) Yusaku Maezawa
US private space firm SpaceX on September 17, 2018 signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) launch vehicle. Japanese billionaire and founder of online fashion giant Zozo, Yusaku Maezawa will be the first Moon tourist on SpaceX’s Lunar BFR Mission.
10. (a) BoB, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank
The Union Finance Ministry on September 17, 2018 announced the proposal to merge three public sector lenders – Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank. The combined lending entity will create India’s third largest bank with a total business of more than Rs 14.82 lakh crore.
11. (b) Subramanya Jaishankar
Subramanya Jaishankar, the former foreign secretary of India, joined the board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). Currently, he is the president of Global Corporate Affairs for the Tata Group.
12. (c) Odisha
The Odisha government launched a ‘Star-Rating’ system for industries to check air pollution. It’s a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state to ensure transparency in compliance to pollution standards. It will also recognise the efforts of industries that take responsibility to maintain clean environment.