General Awareness PYQs

The correct answer is Auckland (New Zealand).

Key Points

• The Economist Intelligence Unit released the Global Liveability Index of 140 cities around the world. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Auckland (New Zealand) has topped the index. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• The index takes into account more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors spanning five broad categories:
• Stability (25%)
• Healthcare (20%)
• Culture and environment (25%)
• Education (10%)
• Infrastructure (20%)
• Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The EIU added new indicators such as stress on healthcare resources as well as restrictions around local sporting events, theatres, music concerts, restaurants, and schools.
• Please note that Vienna was at place 1 in 2018 and 2019 but now stands at place 12.
• Damascus remains the world's least liveable city.
• Top 3 Liveable Cities: Auckland (New Zealand), Osaka (Japan), Adelaide (Australia).
• Bottom 3 Liveable Cities: Damascus (Syria), Lagos (Nigeria), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

The correct answer is Rs 20 lakh

Key Points

• The Reserve Bank of India has notified the enhancement of collateral-free loans to self-help groups (SHGs) from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• The entire loan (irrespective of the loan outstanding, even if it subsequently goes below Rs 10 lakh) would be eligible for coverage under Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU).

Additional Information

• DAY-NRLM adopts a demand-driven approach.
• It enables the states to formulate their own state-specific poverty reduction action plans.
• For loans to SHGs above Rs 10 lakh and up to Rs 20 lakh, no collateral should be charged and no lien should be marked against the savings bank account of SHGs.

Important Points About DAY-NRLM:

• The DAY-NRLM is the flagship program of the Government of India.
• It promotes poverty reduction through building strong institutions for the poor, particularly women.
• It enables institutions to access a range of financial services and livelihoods.
• The scheme was launched in June 2011.

The correct answer is Mumbai.

• The National Asset Reconstruction Co. Ltd (NARCL), or the so-called bad bank, has been registered in Mumbai with a paid-up capital of ₹74.6 crores.
• The bad bank will be headed by Padmakumar Madhavan Nair, a stressed assets expert from the State Bank of India (SBI), as the MD.
• The other directors are Sunil Mehta, Salee Sukumaran Nair, and Ajit Krishnan Nair.
• The bad bank will provide much-needed relief to Indian lenders struggling to bring down their massive bad loan pile that has eroded profit and constrained their ability to lend.

• With an aim to promote independent writers**, Facebook has announced a set of publishing and subscription tools -- Bulletin -- to support these creators in the US.**
• Bulletin will include support focused on content creation, monetisation and audience growth.
• Each Bulletin creator will have a standalone website under their brand and will be able to customise their publication's name, logo and colour palette.
• Creators can also customise their articles with multi-media embeds and other styling options.
• Bulletin content will be eligible for distribution in Facebook News and other discovery surfaces to help audiences easily find it and subscribe.

The correct answer is PC Mahalanobis.

• The birth anniversary of PC Mahalanobis is observed as National Statistics Day on 29 June every year.
• Often referred to as the 'father of Indian statistics', PC Mahalanobis, was a key member of the first Planning Commission of independent India.
• End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture is the theme for 2021.

• Charted Accountants Day or CA Day is celebrated on July 1 every year.
• The day commemorates the finding of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) by the parliament of India in 1949.
• ICAI is India's national professional accounting body and also the second biggest accounting organization in the world.

The correct answer is It is a type of PPP model, used for the development of dam projects in the country.

Key Points

• Over the years, various government documents and committees including the Kelkar committee highlighted issues with various models of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in road construction.
• Considering this, in 2016, the government announced a revamped PPP model in Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) for road projects in the country.(Hence Statement 1 is incorrect)
• HAM: Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) is a blend of two earlier models known has as (Engineering-Procurement- Construction) EPC and (Build Operate & Transfer) BOT-ANNUITY models.
• In the HAM model, the project cost is shared by the private player and the government in the ratio of 60:40, respectively. The private companies are only responsible for the construction work, after the work they are supposed to hand over the roads to the authorities. All the other things, like maintenance and toll collection, is then done by the government.
• The private player is only given a fixed amount for road construction. This amount is known as an "annuity". The tenure of the project is flexible but is generally up to 15 years. During the bidding, the private player quoting the lowest annuity is given the contract.
• In this model, various other issues like land acquisition, clearances, etc are taken care of by the government. So overall, this is the best PPP model for road construction.

The correct answer is member. 

Key Points

• The first directors of most of the companies are named in their articles.
• Regulation 60 of Table F provides that the number of the directors and the names of the first directors shall be determined in writing by the subscribers of the memorandum or a majority of them.
• If they are not so named in the articles of a company, then subscribers to the memorandum who are individuals shall be deemed to be the first directors of the company until the directors are duly appointed.
• In the case of a One Person Company, an individual being a member shall be deemed to be its first director until the director(s) are duly appointed by the member in accordance with the provisions of Section 152.

The correct answer is International Telecommunication Union.

• In News:
• ​United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has released the Global Cyber Security Index (GCI) 2020.

Key Points

• About the index:
• The index is a trusted reference that measures the commitment of countries to cybersecurity at a global level.
• Countries are measured along five pillars, namely, legal measures, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity development, and cooperation to generate an overall score.
• The countries were asked 82 questions where 20 indicators were measured.
• Performance of India and its neighbours:
• India is placed in the 10^th spot.
• In 2018, it was ranked on the 47^th spot. It was ranked rank 47 in 2019.
• In the Asia-Pacific region, India secured the 4^th spot.
• Neighbours China and Pakistan were ranked at 33 and 79, respectively.
• Top 5 Countries:
• The US.
• The UK and Saudi Arabia.
• Estonia.
• South Korea, Singapore, and Spain.
• Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.
• General challenges ahead for the countries worldwide:
• Digital gaps amongst nations create an unsustainable environment in the cyber domain.
• Growing digital reliance in the post-COVID era has exposed digital disparities which must be bridged through capacity building.
• There’s a sophisticated use of cyberspace by terrorists to broaden their propaganda and incite hatred.

The correct answer is 10 grams.

The minimum deposit of raw gold required in Gold Monetization scheme is 10 grams.

• Gold Monetisation Scheme was launched with the aim of turning this unused gold lying idle in India’s households into a productive asset
• It was launched by the Government of India on 5^th November 2015.
• This scheme was also intended to help reduce India's dependence on gold imports
• This scheme replaced the Gold Deposit Scheme, 1999.

The correct answer is Swimming.

Key Points

• Maana Patel
• She is an Indian backstroke swimmer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• She has won gold medals in 50 backstrokes and 200-metre backstroke also at the National Games.
• She has also won the gold medal in 100-metre backstroke at the 60^th National School Games (2015) breaking the national record in the backstroke.
• She won six medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) at the 10^th Asian Age-group Championships-2019 which was held in Bangalore.
• She was coached by Kamlesh Nanavati at the Gujarat Vidyapeeth Swimming Centre.

• The National Savings Certificate (NSC) is a fixed income investment scheme that you can open with any post office branch. The scheme is a Government of India initiative. It is a savings bond that encourages subscribers – mainly small to mid-income investors – to invest while saving on income tax.
• A fixed-income instrument like Public Provident Fund and Post Office FDs, this scheme too is a low-risk fixed-income product. You can buy it from the nearest post office in your name, for a minor or with another adult as a joint account. NSC comes with a fixed maturity period of five years. There is no maximum limit on the purchase of NSCs, but only investments of up to Rs.1.5 lakh can earn you a tax break under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. The certificates earn a fixed interest, which is currently at a rate of 7.0% per annum. The interest rate is revised on a regular basis by the government.
• NSC offers guaranteed interest and complete capital protection. However, like most fixed income schemes, they cannot deliver inflation-beating returns like tax-saving mutual funds and the National Pension System. The government has made NSC easily accessible for prospective investors by making it available in post office branches spread across the country.
• The government has promoted the National Savings Certificate as a savings scheme for individuals. Hence, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and trusts cannot invest in it. Furthermore, even non-resident Indians (NRI) cannot purchase NSC certificates. The scheme is open only for individual Indian resident citizens

The correct answer is Abhimanyu Mishra.

• Indian-American Abhimanyu Mishra has become the youngest-ever chess Grandmaster in the world.
• At 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, he has broken the long-standing record held by Sergey Karjakin, who was 12 years and 7 months old when he attained the title in 2002.
• He scored his third GM norm in Budapest, having already crossed the required 2500 ELO rating barrier.

The correct answer is 41^st:

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has grabbed the 41^st spot in the 2020 list of Forbes 100 most powerful women in the world.
• In 2019, she was ranked at 34.
• The list has been topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the 10^th year in a row.
• US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HCL Enterprise CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra have also been named in the list.
• The women on the 17^th annual Forbes Power List hail from 30 countries and were born across four generations.
• Nadar Malhotra has been ranked at 55^th spot, Mazumdar-Shaw -- described as “India's richest self-made woman” -- is ranked 68^th and chairwoman of Landmark Group Renuka Jagtiani is ranked 98^th.
• European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde is ranked second for the second straight year.
• Kamala Harris, who became the first woman, first Black American and first Asian American to be elected vice president is ranked third on the list.

• Milkha Singh is known as Flying Sikh.
• He was a former Indian track and field sprinter.
• He won Gold Medal in 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.
• He finished at 4^th place in the 1960 Rome Olympic.
• He was awarded Padma Shree for his contribution to the sport.

The correct answer is All of the above.

​In News:

• ​Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) has recently modified the FAME II scheme.
• The union government has announced a decision to extend the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicle (FAME) scheme by two years to March 31, 2024.
• The FAME II scheme, started in 2019 for promoting sales of electric vehicles, was supposed to end by 2022.
• The Fame scheme was announced in 2019 with an outlay of ₹10,000 crores.

Key Points

• Changes:
• Introduction of a demand incentive of Rs. 15,000 per kWh for electric two-wheelers with a maximum cap at 40% of the vehicles’ cost.
• Launch of aggregate demand for 300,000 electric three-wheelers by Energy Efficiency Services Limited.
• FAME scheme:
• FAME India is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
• The main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.
• The FAME India Scheme is aimed at incentivising all vehicle segments.
• Two phases of the scheme:
• Phase I: started in 2015 and was completed on 31^st March 2019
• Phase II: started from April 2019, will be completed by 31^st March 2022
• The scheme covers Hybrid & Electric technologies like Mild Hybrid, Strong Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid & Battery Electric Vehicles.
• Monitoring Authority: Department of Heavy Industries, the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
• Fame India Scheme has four focus Areas:
• Technology development
• Demand Creation
• Pilot Projects
• Charging Infrastructure
• Objectives of FAME Scheme:
• Encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles by way of offering upfront Incentive on the purchase of Electric vehicles.
• Establish a necessary charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles.
• To address the issue of environmental pollution and fuel security.

The correct answer is Sangrur.

• The then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has announced the creation of a new district of Malerkotla, carving the state’s only Muslim-majority town from Sangrur district.
• Adjoining Amargarh and Ahmedgarh will also form part of Punjab’s 23^rd district.
• The Chief Minister also announced a Rs. 500-crore medical college, a women’s college, a new bus stand, and a women police station in Malerkotla.
• Punjab:
• Chief Minister - Bhagwant Mann
• Governor - Banwarilal Purohit
• State Animal - Blackbuck.
• State Bird - Northern goshawk.
• Dam - Ranjit Sagar Dam (Ravi River).
• Registered GI - Phulkari, Basmati.

The correct answer is 5^th.

Important Points

• UAE has put a probe called Hope in orbit around the planet, making it only the fifth spacefaring entity to do so after the US, the Soviet Union, Europe, and India.

Key Points

• The spacecraft left Earth seven months ago, had to make a braking maneuver to be sure of being captured by Mars' gravity.
• UAE scientists can now look forward to studying the planet's atmosphere.
• Their satellite carries three instruments that will observe, among other targets, how neutral atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, remnants from Mars' once abundant water, leak into space.
• In the process, Hope will return spectacular, high-resolution, full-disk images of the planet.
• Hope had been approaching Mars at over 120,000km/h (relative to the Sun) and needed to execute a precise 27-minute burn on its braking engines to scrub some of that speed or risk skipping off into ever deeper space.
• The past few days have witnessed tremendous enthusiasm for Hope and its mission, with public monuments, buildings, and heritage sites across the federation all lit up in red.
• Hope is regarded as a triumph for a small gulf nation that dared to think seven years ago that it could inspire the next generation by launching the first Arab interplanetary space mission.

The correct answer is Paulo Coelho.

• The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988.
• Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller.
• The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there.

The correct answer is United States.

• United States is the largest export destination for India.

Key Points

• The United States was the largest export destination for Indian exports in the fiscal year 2020, accounting for nearly 17 percent.
• The United Arab Emirates followed at over nine percent of India's exports that same year.

Additional Information

• Exports are goods and services that are produced in one country and sold to buyers in another.
• Exports, along with imports, make up international trade.
• The seller of such goods and services is an exporter; the foreign buyer is an importer.
• The exportation of goods often requires the involvement of customs authorities.
• Export barriers are divided into four large categories: motivational, informational, operational/resource-based, and knowledge.

• President of United States - Joe Biden.
• President of China - Xi Jinping.
• President of Russia - Vladimir Putin.
• President of  Pakistan - Arif Alvi.