27 Sep

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1. Grand Slam winner Li Na has recently announced her retirement. She belongs to which country? A. Japan B. South Korea C. China D. Indonesia

Ans. C

BACKGROUND:

China’s Grand Slam winner Li Na on 19 September 2014 announced her retirement at the age of 32. She is Asia’s greatest and most influential tennis player. The reason behind this decision is her over persistent knee injuries. She already underwent four knee surgeries due to the injuries she got while playing tennis. Moreover, Li was also hit by a heavy blow when her inspirational coach Carlos Rodriguez ended their partnership in July 2014.

About Li Na
• Li Na was born on 26 February 1982 in Wuhan, China.
• She became the first tennis player to represent an Asian country in a Grand Slam singles final by appearing at the 2011 Australian Tennis Open.
• Li won nine WTA singles titles in her entire sporting career including two Grand Slam singles titles at the 2011 French Tennis Open and 2014 Australian Tennis Open.
• She won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title in Guangzhou in July 2001.
• She stood at the second place on the Forbes list of the highest paid female athletes after Russia’s Maria Sharapova.

2. Scotland has rejected the referendum for independence. When did Scotland join the UK?

Ans. 1707

BACKGROUND:

Scotland joined the United Kingdom in 1707, but the demand for Independence from UK emerged first in 2009 and again in 2011. The demand for Independence was made by Scottish National Party. After Scottish National Party came in power in 2011, the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013 under an agreement between the Scottish and United Kingdom Governments. People of Scotland on 19 September 2014 rejected the historic referendum for independence from United Kingdom. In the referendum asking simple question, Should Scotland be an independent country?, 55.3 percent of the Scots voted No whereas 44.7 percent of the Scots voted Yes. In effect the referendum was rejected by a huge margin of 10.6 percent.

Out of 32 council areas, the Scots backing Yes scored four big successes, winning 53 percent of the vote in Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, 54 percent in West Dunbartonshire, 57 percent in Dundee and 51 percent in North Lanarkshire. However, the Scots backing No emerged victorious in 28 authorities. It won overwhelmingly in Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire and Borders, Falkirk, Inverclyde, Eilean Siar and Clackmannanshire. With this result, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Britain, announced the devolvement of more powers to Scotland and other unions of the UK, whereas Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister and the leader of the Scottish National Party, announced his retirement. The results were also welcomed by the US and Europe, particularly Spain which face their won secessionist movement in the form of Catalonians.

Fallout of the Scottish referendum

With the rejection of the refrendum, Pound Sterling jumped, reaching a new two-year high against the euro in Asian trading hours and the FTSE 100 opened 44 points higher. The results also came with host of announcements by David Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain. He announced that Lord Smith of Kelvin would oversee the process to take forward the scheme of devolution of maximum powers to Scotland which include new powers over tax, spending and welfare. The scheme has to be agreed by November 2013, and draft legislation to be published by January 2015. He also acknowledged that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over their affairs.

3. _____ has been recently declared the US-India Partnership Day. A. September 21 B. September 24 C. September 26 D. September 30

Ans. D

BACKGROUND:

US Senate on 19 September 2014 passed a bipartisan resolution declaring 30 September 2014 as US-India Partnership Day. The resolution recognizes the importance of India and the US to one another and their relationship in defining the 21st century. The resolution was introduced by senators Mark Warner of Democratic Party and John Cornyn from Republican on 17 September 2014. Warner and Cornyn are co- chairmen of the 42-member Senate India Caucus which is the only country specific caucus in the Senate. The resolution said that the relationship between India and the US is a special and permanent bond. It further praised the way General Elections 2014 were conducted which was the largest in the Indian history and reflected that democracy in India is as strong as it is encompassing of its religious, ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural diversity. Besides, it also recognized that the US and India are the two largest democracies in the world and both countries share multi-faceted relationship. The declaration came few days before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled visit to the US on 29 September and 30 September 2014 where he will have talks with President of US Barack Obama.

4. A board of inquiry has recommended the decommissioning of INS Sindhurakshak. INS Sindhurakshak is a ______.

Ans. Submarine

BACKGROUND:

The second Board of Inquiry (BOI) in September 2014 recommended decommissioning of INS Sindhurakshak, in its report. The second BOI was constituted by the Union Defence Ministry to probe the feasibility of reusing INS Sindhurakshak. The BOI has also found out that the massive fire on the submarine caused by its missiles and torpedoes would have damaged the hull of the submarine making it unfit for the sea. The BOI has recommended that the submarine INS Sindhurakshak is not seaworthy, hence not fit to sail again thus it should be decommissioned. In August 2013, a massive fire broke out on INS Sindhurakshak followed by a series of explosions, killing 18 Navy personnel, including three officers, aboard. The 3000-tonne submarine sank in the South Breakwater in naval dockyard of Mumbai within hours of the incident. In January 2014, the Navy entered into a contract with the Indian arm of the US-based firm Resolve Marine to conduct salvage operations of the submarine. In June 2014, the submarine was retrieved from the water and anchored at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. In April 2014 the first BOI submitted a report detailing six probable causes of the accident. Thereafter two set of tests were performed on the Submarine – one to ascertain the cause of the accident and the other to decide the scope of the work needed to make it seaworthy.

5. Which of the following countries has fined GlaxoSmithKline 489 million US dollars for paying bribes? A. Japan B. USA C. China D. India

Ans. C

BACKGROUND:

China on 19 September 2014 fined GlaxoSmithKline Placement (GSK Plc) a record 489 million US dollars (3 billion Yuan) for paying bribes to doctors to use its drugs. The fine was imposed by Changsha Intermediate People’s Court of China. Along with fine, Chinese Court also sanctioned jail sentence to former head of GSK Mark Reilly and 4 other GSK executives Zhang Guowei, Liang Hong, Zhao Hongyan and Huang Hong for two to four years.The fine is equivalent to around 4 percent of GSK’s 2013 operating profits. GSK will pay the penalty from existing cash resources. However, the sentence has not put any embargo on the deals of GSK with China. However, it also offered GSK a potential way forward in the fast-growing Chinese pharmaceutical market. It is estimated that Chinese pharmaceutical market will hit 1 trillion US dollars by 2020. Under Chinese criminal law, bribery by a corporate unit can lead to a large fine and jail sentence for the unit’s head.  The verdict highlights how Chinese regulators are increasingly cracking down on corporate malpractice.

6. ____ has launched the first equity index-linked World Bank green bond. A. BNP Paribas B. Standard Chartered C. Bank of America D. HSBC

Ans. A

BACKGROUND:

BNP Paribas on 18 September 2014 launched equity index linked green bond. It was launched in collaboration with the World Bank which will help raise funds for products seeking to mitigate climate change. It is the first equity index linked with green bond. The details of the equity linked green bondare as follows:

• The 30 stock equity index will be linked to the World Bank Green Bond
• It comprises of companies selected on the basis of their corporate sustainability ratings.
• The bond will have exposure to the performance of the Ethical Europe Equity Index.
• The equity index-linked green bond is forward development of the green bond market.
• It will help expands the investor base to seeking to benefit from the financial performance of a sustainable equity index, while supporting climate.
• The stocks of equity index that are based on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance, are selected from corporates analysed by Vigeo, a global ESG rating agency.

About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is a French bank and financial services company with headquarters in Paris, and a global headquarters in London. BNP Paribas established its first branch in Kolkata in 1860 and is one of the leading corporate banks in India. BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment business is an active player in Fixed Income and Debt Capital Markets, Cash Management & Trade, Corporate Finance and Institutional Equities.

7. India and ____ have recently agreed to establish a Joint Working group to facilitate movie production.

Ans. China

BACKGROUND:

India and China on 18 September 2014 agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to promote facilitation in the film sector. The group will meet for the first time in November 2014 on the sidelines of the International Film Festival India 2014 at Goa.The decision of formation of the Joint Working Group was taken in New Delhi at the meet between the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and his Chinese counterpart, Minister for State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) Cai Fuchao. As per the plan, the proposed meet will involve the stakeholders from both the countries to concretize cooperation in the film sector with specific proposals and projects. The meet will be an important step towards identifying key deliverables and a common road-map to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of films and audio-visual production.The two nations have decided to work on the agreement within an institutional time frame in the light of the audio-visual co-production signed during the India visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The ambit of co-production agreement covered the domains of feature films, documentaries, cine films and animations.Apart from this, the two nations also agreed that the Chinese Films Co-production Commission would interact more closely with the Union I&B Ministry.

8. Who among the following was India’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of 17th Asian Games? A. Abhinav Bindra B. Saina Nehwal C. Sardar Singh D. Manoj Kumar

Ans. C

BACKGROUND:

Sardar Singh on 19 September 2014 became India’s flag bearer at 17th Asian Games opening. Sardar Singh is the captain of Indian Hockey team. Sardar singh lead the Indian Contingent of 130 Indian athletes as the organizers had put the limitations of 130 persons from any country to be participated in the opening ceremony. The strength of Indian contingent was 679, which included 516 athletes

About Sardar Singh 
Sardar Singh is an Indian professional field hockey player. He is the current captain of the Indian national team. He usually played the center half position. He became the youngest player to captain the Indian team when he led the side at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

9. The Chief Minister of which state has announced the launch of an Angel Fund for first generation entrepreneurs?A. Gujarat B. Assam C. Uttar Pradesh D. Karnataka

Ans. B

BACKGROUND:

Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gagoi on 19 September 2014 launched an Angel Fund. The fund has been launched to help the first generation entrepreneurs and skilled youths to set up micro and small enterprises in Assam.The fund was launched at a conference of general managers of District Industries and Commerce Centres (DICCs).

Provisions of Angel Fund

• Under the Fund plan, the first generation entrepreneurs can get a maximum loan of 5 lakh rupees at 5 percent interest per annum
• The loan will have a moratorium period of maximum 10 months,   during which no interest rates will be charged

Chief Minister also said that the maximum loan amount under the scheme would be increased from the existing 5 lakh rupees in future for allowing expansion of the businesses of the young entrepreneurs.Earlier, for the purpose of operation of the Angel fund scheme a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the State Government and Assam Gramin Vikash Bank. The MoU was signed by the Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Rajesh Prasad on behalf of the State Government and Chairman, Assam Gramin Vikash Bank, Shio Shankar Singh in the presence of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and State Minister for Industries and Commerce Pradyut Bordoloi. The newly launched Angel Fund in Assam was announced by Chief Minister Tarun Gagoi in his 2013 budget speech. Earlier, the state government earmarked a sum of 12 crore rupees for the Angel Fund.

About Angel Investors
Angel investors are people, group or financial group that provides financial backing to entrepreneurs or small startups. These funds in form of financial backing could be obtained from these investors at the time of start-up of the company or for the ongoing projects during the difficult times.

10. As per the 6th Delhi Economic Census, women constitute around 12% of the city’s workforce. What is the contribution of women in India’s workforce?

Ans. 25.56%

BACKGROUND:

The Sixth Delhi Economic Census 2013 was released on 19 September 2014.  The economic census was released by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of Delhi Government. The field work for the Economic Census was conducted between February 2013 and June 2013. It included all types of entrepreneurial activities in the field of agricultural and non-agricultural activities (except crop-production and plantation).

Highlights of the census

  • The average employment size per enterprise in Delhi is 3.34, which is higher than the national average of 2.18.
  • Only 3.32 percent of all establishments in Delhi have employed eight or more workers.
  • The total number of establishments operating in Delhi has increased from 7.55 lakh during the fifth Economic Census conducted in 2005 to 8.93 lakh in 2013, indicating an 18.35 percent growth.
  • Of the 2984850 people working in the establishments, a majority are men, constituting as much as 87.8 percent.
  • Percentage of total women workers to total persons employed in India was 30.90% (rural) and 19.80% (urban), aggregate percentage being 25.56
  • Interestingly, only 68.70 per cent of the total workers are ‘hired’ indicating that the remaining are often made up of family members or others helping the owners.
  • About 1.53 percent of the total establishments in the country are located in NCT of Delhi. Of the establishments, 76.89 percent operate with a fixed structure and the rest around 23.11 percent operate from households without a fixed structure.
  • The maximum number of establishment i.e.1.53 lakh is located in Central District followed by West and North-East district.
  • In case of employment, the maximum number of 5.76 lakh persons is working in Central District while, 19.3 percent followed by South-East and North District. 

11. Unicode based mobile app has been launched in ____for android phones. A. Telugu B. Kannada C. Gujarati D. Punjabi

Ans. B

BACKGROUND:

The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah on 19 September 2014 launched a Unicode based mobile app in Kannada for android phones. The source code of the app can be downloaded free of cost by the users from the website of the Kannada and Culture Department.The language was launched in a bid to improve the usage of Kannada on mobile phones and tabs. Earlier, the app linked to the Kannada language was available through private players but now the Government has officially introduced the app. The Unicode Converter System that will enable the users to download any content in Kannada from across the world in the Android phones has been developed by the committee headed by Dr. K Chidananda Gowda, former Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University, Shimoga. Apart from the mobile based app, the Chief Minister also unveiled Kannada Braille script for blinds. This version that will be available free of cost will accompany voice mode which can be heard when the scripts key is touched on computer.

12. Which European country has joined the US air strikes against ISIS in Iraq? A. UK B. France C. Germany D. Italy

Ans. B

BACKGROUND:

France on 19 September 2014 joined US air strikes against ISIS in Iraq. French jets have carried out their first strikes on Islamic State (IS) depot in north-east Iraq. Four Rafale planes hit the town of Zumar, killing dozens of militants. Earlier, Iraqi government had requested France government for air support. In Response, President of France Hollande extended his support to Iraq but the French jets will not target IS in neighbouring Syria. He also insisted that he would not send ground troops. The US has carried out more than 170 air strikes against the jihadist group in Iraq since mid-August 2014. ISIS remains in control of dozens of cities and towns in Iraq and Syria, where it has declared a caliphate.

13. _______, the President of South Korea, recently inaugurated the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.

Ans. Park Geun-Hye

BACKGROUND:

The 17th Asian Games also known as XVII Asiad commenced at Asiad Main Stadium in Incheon, South Korea on 19 September 2104. The theme of the 2014 Asian Games is Meet Asia’s Future. The games will see participation of about 13000 athletes from 45 nations in different sports categories for over 1300 medals. In 16 days the games will see the participants competing in 439 events spread across 36 sports disciplines. The 17th edition of the game will come to an end on 4 October 2014.

Opening ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games 2014
Generally, the opening ceremonies of any game tells a story of the host country, but this time the opening ceremony was connected to its theme, Meet Asia’s Future. The opening ceremony spoke about Asia (a home of about two-thirds of the world’s population) as a continent, whose countries are divided by oceans. The sum up of the show said that the Asian countries should stay united and strong. It also hailed the bright future of Asia.The Games flame was lighted by two little kids although the lamp was carried all its way by greatest athletes of Korea. The Games was opened by the South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.The opening ceremony that ran in four parts lasted for three-and-a-half hours. It was directed by Im Kwon-Taek and Jang Jin depicting Asia’s Past, Present and Future. Some of the topics included during the opening ceremony were Asia long time ago, Asia meeting through the sea, Asia as family and friends and Asia as on and future joining with today. The show was participated by several performers and the last piece of the show was by Gangnam style star DJ Psy.

Indian contingent at the 17th Asian Games 
The Indian contingent for the games consisted of 516 athletes participating in 28 sports. The flag bearer of Indian side during the opening ceremony of the games was Sardar Singh, the captain of Men’s Hockey team of India.

14. Who among the following has recently stepped down from the CEO Position at Oracle Corp? A. Larry Ellison B. Pierre Nanterme C. Garo H Aerman D. Jeff Bezos

Ans. A

BACKGROUND:

Co-founder and leader of Oracle Corp Larry Ellison on 18 September 2014 stepped down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Larry Ellison will now be the chairman of Oracle’s board and the Chief Technology Officer of the company.Current Presidents of Oracle Safra Catz and Mark Hurd will take over as the new Chief Executive Officers which raised questions whether it will be successful. Such arrangements had largely been unsuccessful when tried at other companies. Under this new arrangement, Safra Catz will continue to handle manufacturing, finance and legal functions at Oracle, while sales and service units will continue to report to Mark Hurd. Software and hardware engineering unit will continue to report to Ellison. The major difference is that Catz and Hurd will now report to Oracle’s board rather than to Ellison.

About Larry Ellison
• Raised in a rough Chicago neighborhood, Ellison built Oracle into one of the most successful technology companies at Silicon Valley.
• Ellison co-founded the database company that became Oracle in 1977. He served Oracle Corp as Chief Executive officer for 37 years.
• Ellison took the company public in 1986 with revenue of 55 million US dollars. The revenues of 2014 are expected to top 40 billion US dollars.
• Through dozens of acquisitions, Ellison widened the portfolio of Oracle to include tools for customer service, human resources and business intelligence. He invested billions of dollars to acquire PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems and other tech companies.
• As per the 2014 Forbes Billionaires List, Ellison is the world’s fifth richest person with the wealth of 51.3 billion US dollars.
• Ellison remains the single-largest owner of Oracle stock ORCL by owning its 1.1 billion shares. These shares are valued at 45.8 billion US dollars.

About Safra Catz
Safra Catz was trained in finance and law. She was a Wall Street banker from 1986 until she joined Oracle in 1999. She joined the board of directors in 2001 and became president in 2004. In 2011, she took over as chief financial officer of Oracle Corp.

About Mark Hurd
Mark Hurd served as the computer and ATM pioneer NCR Corp for 25 years. In 2005, he joined Hewlett Packard where he was CEO till 2010.It was in 2010 itself that he was courted by Ellison following which he joined Oracle.

15. Music maestro Uppalapu Srinivas died recently. Which instrument did he play?

Ans. Mandolin

BACKGROUND:

Music Maestro Mandolin player Uppalapu Srinivas died on 19 September 2014 in Chennai. He died following a failed liver transplant at the age of 45. He is now survived by his father, mother, a sister and brother Rajesh, who is also a mandolin player.He started performing at the early age of nine and as a child prodigy of Mandolin was a phenomenal player. He was known for fusing western instrument Mandolin with Carnatic music so as to render gamaka form of the music.

About Uppalapu Srinivas
• He was born in Palakol of Andhra Pradesh on 28 February 1969 and was the son of clarinet player Sathyanarayana.
• He was declared as the musician of the Tamil Nadu government at the age of 15 by late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran in 1984.
• As a musician he won several accolades that included Padma Shri (1998) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (2010).
• He was also the recipient of the prestigious Sangeeta Ratna award.
• He was known for adapting the difficult western instrument to the Carnatic stage.
• His familiarity with cross over genres rendered a platform for merging his music with other traditional musical arts.
• He released Samjanitha in 2008 that featured Debashish Bhattacharya, John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, Vikku Vinaykram, Dominique Piazza George Brook, U Rajesh, Anil Srinivasan and others.
• He also recorded CD of Carnatic composition by Ilaiyataaja called Ilaiyaraaja’s Classics in Mandolin.
• In his career as a mandolin musician, he also performed along with several international artists like Michael Brook, John McLaughlin, Trey Gunn and Nigel Kennedy.

16. I&B Ministry has launched a new sms service in ____ languages. A. 11 B. 9 C. 5 D. 4

Ans. C

BACKGROUND:

Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on 19 September 2014 launched free news SMS service of All India Radio (AIR) in five Indian languages. These five languages are Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Dogri and Nepali. The SMS service is aimed at providing important news to the subscribers in their preferred language on their mobile phones. The SMS service initiated by AIR constitutes a critical component of Communicating India which is an outreach mechanism to enable the flow of quality information to the people across platforms. The ministry suggested that AIR should broadcast news in other regional languages through the SMS service and run a campaign through newspapers and Doordarshan to create awareness of the service. This would help a large cross-section of society to access news in real time.Previously, AIR had launched SMS service in English on 9 September 2013 to provide AIR news on mobile sets to its subscribers free of cost. The service has already touched the database of over three lakh subscribers.

17. ________, the President of Taiwan, has recently presented the first Tang Prizes.

Ans. Ma Ying-jeou

BACKGROUND:

Ma Ying-jeou, The President of Taiwan presented the Tang Prizes in Taiwan’s capital Taipei on 18 September 2014. This award honours the outstanding contributions to the environment, human rights, medicine and Sinology. The Tang Prize is treated as Asia’s version of the Nobels.

Tang Prize 2014 Recipients

• Sustainable Development – Gro Harlem Brundtland former Premier of Norway
She was awarded for her innovation, leadership and implementation of sustainable development that laid out the scientific and technical challenges. Gro Harlem Brundtland is called as the “godmother” of sustainable development.

• Sinology – Chinese American, Historian Yu Ying-shih
He was awarded for his mastery of and insight into Chinese intellectual, political, and cultural history with an emphasis on his profound research into the history of public intellectuals in China.

• Biopharmaceutical Science – James P Allison of US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan
They were awarded for their discoveries of CTLA-4 and PD-1 as immune inhibitory molecules, revealing ways to harness our incredibly powerful immune system to fight cancer and marking the beginning of the immunotherapy revolution.

• The Rule of Law – Albie Sachs, former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
He was awarded for his contributions to human rights and justice around the world.  He is a lawyer and human rights activist who spent his lifetime fighting apartheid, helped write the new Constitution of South Africa.

About Tang Prize
• The prize was founded in 2012 with the donation of 3 billion Taiwan dollars by Samuel Yin. Yin was one of the richest men in Taiwan.
• Yin had promised to donate 95 percent of his wealth to charity during his lifetime and according to Forbes magazine’s estimation, His net assets are 4.5 billion dollars.
• The prize is named after a Chinese Dynasty Tang of 618-907 AD.
• Each winner of the prize gets 50 million Taiwan dollars (107 million US dollars). The prize will be 40 million Taiwan dollars in cash and the remainder in a grant
• The Award is given in environment, human rights, medicine and Sinology categories.

18. Who has became the first transgender television news anchor in India? A. Kalki Subrmaniam B. Padmini Prakash C. Shobha Warrier D. Nikki Kapoor

Ans. B

BACKGROUND:

Padmini Prakash became the first transgender television news anchor in India. On the eve of Independence Day on 15 August 2014, she for the first time read out the day’s headlines from a teleprompter for the Lotus News Channel Studios. A month after she started, Padmini has become the face of the Coimbatore-based Lotus News Channel’s daily 7pm special bulletin. Earlier, Padmini had acted in a television serial. She also contributed herself as a vocal social activist for transgender rights.

About Padmini Prakash
Padmini Prakash is a 31 year-old transgender from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She was a first-year B.Com student when she cut off all ties with her family and dropped out of college because she could no longer take the stigma and pressure.She travelled across the state and beyond and later returned to Tamil Nadu and became a Bharathanatyam dance instructor.Padmini also participated in and won several transgender beauty contests.

19. Which company has been approved by Nepal government to build a 900 MW hydroelectric power plant in Upper Karnali region? A. L&T B. GMR C. Omaxe D. Emmar

Ans. B

BACKGROUND:

Nepal government cleared GMR Company proposal to build 900 MW Upper Karnali hydroelectric power plant (HEP) in North-West Nepal. The proposal approved by Nepal Cabinet on 18 September 2014 is a part of foreign investment scheme in Nepal aimed at exporting electricity to India. With the Nepal Cabinet passing the proposal, now the Investment Board Nepal will sign a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with GMR to construct transmission lines across the border to transmit the electricity to India. The GMR is expected to complete the project in 2021 and will provide 12 percent energy free to Nepal to ease a crippling power shortage in Nepal. Rest of the electricity will be exported to India. According to the agreement, the GMR will give 27 percent of stake of the project to Nepal.The GMR also will build a separate power house to generate two megawatts of electricity to be supplied to villagers in Achham, Surkhet and Dailekh districts where the project will be located.

Significances of the approval
The approval of Nepal cabinet allowing GMR Company to build hydro power project in Nepal paves the way for other Indian companies to invest in powers sector in Nepal. For instance, Satluj Vidyut Nigam Limited along with other companies have plan to build HEP plants totaling 42000 MW. Besides, the approval will bring Indian companies in direct contention with Chinese companies who are competing with New Delhi to influence Nepal through investment in power infrastructure in Nepal. For instance Three Gorges Dam International is also in talks with Investment Board Nepal to build a 1.6 billion US dollars dam to generate 750 MW of electricity on the West Seti River in Nepal. Earlier in 2008, the government of Nepal agreed to allow GMR to construct the 900 megawatt (MW) Upper Karnali hydroelectric power plant. However, due to the political instability in Nepal, the clearance for the project got delayed.

20. How many agreements have India and China signed during Chinese President Xi Jingping recent India visit?

Ans. 16

BACKGROUND:

India and China signed sixteen agreements to strengthen the strategic and bilateral relations between the two countries. Of these sixteen, thirteen were signed on 18 September 2014 in New Delhi and the three others were signed in Gujarat on 17 September 2014. These agreements were signed in the presence of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jingping and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The agreements were signed during the three-day state visit of President of China from 17 September to 19 September 2014.

These agreements included 20 billion US dollar investment on Infrastructure, Mass rover, Indian Railways and Industrial Parks over the next five years. This is the first time a Chinese president has traveled to India in the last eight years. His visit infused a new vitality in the relationship of the two countries. China and India are the two most populous countries and fastest growing major economies in the world. The resultant growth in China and India’s international diplomatic and economic influence has also increased the significance of their bilateral relationship. Their bilateral relationship is of critical significance to the regional and world pattern. As two members of the BRICS group and the G20, China and India share extensive common interests in issues such as the reform of international financial system, climate change, and international trade negotiation.

Further, being the world’s oldest civilizations, the cultural and economic relations between China and India date back to ancient times. The most famous cultural and economic connectivity between the two nations was provided by the Silk Road. It not only served as a major trade route between India and China, but is also credited for facilitating the spread of Buddhism from India to East Asia.

Since the late 1980s, both countries have successfully attempted to reignite diplomatic and economic ties. As a result, in 2008, China emerged as India’s largest trading partner and the two countries have also attempted to extend their strategic and military relations. Both the countries have cooperated on regional issues like regional economic integration, the Afghanistan issue and crackdown on terrorism. China is India’s largest trading partner, and their economic collaboration will inject vigorous impetus to the Indian economy.

21. Union sports ministry has finally agreed to honour boxer, _____ with Arjuna Award. A. Manoj Kumar B. Jitender Kumar C. Mukesh Deshwal D. Vivek Dahiya

Ans. A

BACKGROUND:

Union Sports Ministry on 17 September 2014 finally agreed to honour Boxer Manoj Kumar with Arjuna Award. The decision to give Arjuna Award to Manoj Kumar came after Manoj Kumar approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Arjuna Awards list prepared by the Kapil Dev led Selection Committee. The Committee had instead nominated Boxer Jai Bhagwan for the Award. The Ministry admitted in the court that Manoj was initially not considered for the award by the committee as they mistakenly believed that he was involved in a doping case.

About Manoj Kumar 
Manoj Kumar is an Indian boxer. He won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games he was quarterfinalist.

22. Indian Air Force has recently gifted a vintage Dakota aircraft to which country? A. Bangladesh B. Nepal C. Srilanka D. Pakistan

Ans. A

BACKGROUND:

Indian Air Force on 18 September 2014 gifted a vintage Dakota aircraft from its museum to Bangladesh Air Force. The Dakota aircraft was given on a formal request from Bangladesh Air Force to review and revive the historic ties between the two countries.The aircraft was handed over to Air Marshal Muhammad Enamul Bari, Chief of Bangladesh Air Force by Air Marshal SS Soman, Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command of Indian Air Force in a ceremony at Air Force Station Palam, New Delhi.

About Dakota aircraft
The Dakota aircraft played a crucial role in liberation of Bangladesh and formation of Bangladesh Air Force. The aircraft was used for air dropping Army troops in Bangladesh’s Tangail during the 1971 war. It was also used for transporting troops in Srinagar during the 1947-48 war with Pakistan for protecting Kashmir Valley from raiders from across the border.Dakota was the first transport aircraft to be landed at the heights of 11500 feet in Leh by legendary pilot Wing Commander Mehar Singh.

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