Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
April 2013
A publication of Nirdeshak.com
CONTENTS
April 1, 2013
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Engaged in several initiatives which focus on developing and implementing value-added learning tools and systems for todays youth. Was actively involved in educational radio segment. Developed methodology and framework of NTS, a one of its kind of service providing testing solutions for competitive exams. Founder of nirdeshak.com
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April 1, 2013
1) BJP President Rajnath Singh announced partys 76 member core parliament team of office bearers on 31 March 2013, in which Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was also inducted in the parliamentary body of the BJP. What unique distinction was earned by Narendra Modi with this induction? He is the first and only Chief Minister to have been inducted into partys parliamentary body, which is the highest decision making body of the party (It was a clear indication that Narendra Modi is being pushed to national politics to take a probable central role in the Lok Sabha elections for 2014) 2) What is the name of the yatra started by social activist Anna Hazare from Amritsar on 31 March 2013? Janatantra Yatra (walk for democracy) A series of public rallies are to be organized to press a 25-point agenda under the banner of Janatantra Yatra to garner peoples support against the Congress-led UPA government ahead of next years Lok Sabha polls and make people aware of its efforts to ditch the Jan Lokpal bill. Hazare had floated Janatantra Morcha after the protests on Lokpal Bill fizzled out and Team Anna split, with a faction led by Arvind Kejriwal forming a political party
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3) India was affected by one of the biggest cyber-attack and under-sea cable cuts in recent times as numerous important subsea cables were disrupted due to cable cuts recently. The disrupted cables include South East AsiaMiddle EastWestern Europe 4 (SMW-4), India-Middle East-Western Europe (I-ME-WE) and Europe India Gateway (EIG) systems. This disrupted was reported from which place? Near Alexandria (Egypt) The services provided by Bharti Airtel, Tata Communications, State-owned BSNL and MTNL were largely affected by this cable cut which is also termed as bazooka attack in networking parlance 4) Who was appointed at the President of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) India on 31 March 2013 at the conclusion of 82nd Annual General Meeting of ICC India? Rajan Bharti Mittal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises (ICC India is the Indian affiliate of the Paris-based ICC, the world business organisation with presence in over 90 countries) 5) The first Greenfield renewable solar photo-voltaic project of NTPC was commissioned on 30 March 2013 at Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands 6) What procedure has been adopted recently by public sector banks (PSBs) for sale of properties to recover payments from defaulting borrowers in order to ensure a free, fair and transparent process? e-auction (During the last meeting of general managers (recovery/legal) of all PSBs held in December 2012, it was advised that all auctions of immovable properties, under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002 be carried out through e-auctions. The PSBs have started implementing the same advice) 7) Who took over the reins of NSE (National Stock Exchange), Indias largest stock exchange on 1 April 2013? Chitra Ramakrishna (She took over the post of CEO from outgoing Ravi Narain) 8) What was the amount of employment opportunities created by 8 key manufacturing and service sectors of the Indian economy during six months of July December 2012, as reveled in the bi-annual survey of the Labour Bureau released recently? 1.68 lakh (Employment opportunities grew by about 9% during the period as compared to the first half on 2012 (January June 2012), during which 1.54 new jobs were created)
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April 2, 2013
1) Supreme Court on 1 April 2013 dismissed Swiss pharmaceutical chain Novartis AGs petition seeking patent protection for one of its anti-cancer drugs used for treating blood-cancer, patent right for which was rejected in 2006 by the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board. What is the name of this drug? Glivec (Award of patent to Novartis for this drug would have barred Indian firms from manufacturing generic drugs. Novartis had been fighting a long legal battle for Glivec and developments in this case were watched with very keen interest by international pharmaceutical firms. Novartis defeat in this case is seen as a big victory for generic drug manufacturers of India and would allow hugely cheaper Indian versions of costly anti-cancer drugs marketed by multinational drug companies) 2) Analog television signals were closed from mid-night of 31 March 2013 in how many cities of India under the second phase of TV digitalization drive in India? 33 cities (These 33 cities are Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Howrah, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mysore, Nagpur, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Patna, Pimpri- Chinchwad, Pune, Ranchi, Sholapur, Srinagar, Thane, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam. Earlier analog signals were proposed to be closed in 38 cities. The deadline for digitalization was extended in Bangalore and four cities of Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara) on court orders) 3) Circulation of private newspapers resumed after about 50 years in which country on 1 April 2013? Myanmar (Private newspapers were banned in the 1960s by the late dictator Ne Win, who imposed a state monopoly on the daily press. Four private newspapers went on sale on Monday. The Associated Press became the first international news agency to open a bureau in Myanmar since the new government took power two years ago) 4) Petrol price was reduced by________ from midnight of 1 April 2013 by oil companies Rs. 0.85/liter (This reduction in petroleum price was due to fall in international oil prices and is the second reduction in rates in two weeks) 5) Who was named as the new Prime Minister of North Korea on 1 April 2013? Pak Pong-Ju (He was appointed at the annual meeting of the Supreme Peoples Assembly, the rubber-stamp style parliament of North Korea. Ju was reportedly sacked as prime minister in 2007 after proposing a U.S.-style wage system. He replaced Choe Yong-Rim) 6) Who was appointed as the new Chairman of Indias leading pharma company Reddys Lab on 1 April 2013? G.V. Prasad (He filled in the place created by founder-Chairman Anji Reddys demise last month) 7) What is the name of the rebel leader of the Central African Republic (CAR), who has recently proclaimed himself as the President of the country and has now appointed a new cabinet? Michel Djotodia (Djotodia is the leader of the Seleka rebel movement, that began its advance to the capital Bangui during December 2012. Later, peace was struck with President Francois Bozize in January 2013 in an agreement, in which Bozize was allowed to finish his term in return of some concessions. But now Michel Djotodia has broken the agreement, forcing President Bozize to flee the country) 09 WWW.NIRDESHAK.COM
April 3, 2013
1) Supreme Court on 2 April 2013 vacated its order restraining Italys Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving India as the two Italian marines, accused of killing two fishermen returned back to India to face the proceedings as per commitment given by him to the court. On which date Mancini was directed by the court to not leave India without its permission? 14 March 2013 2) What is the main feature of the new Lokayukta Aayog Bill, 2013 passed by the Gujarat Assembly on 2 April 2013? This bill seeks to end the role of the Governor and the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in appointing the Lokpal or ombudsman (The Bill proposes a seven-member selection panel headed by the Chief Minister, which will recommend a candidate for the Lokayuktas post, and the Governors role would only be to ratify the candidate) 3) Tamil film stars including superstar Rajnikanth, R Sarath Kumar and Ajith Kumar undertook a day-long fast at the premises of South Indian Film Artists Association in Chennai on 2 April 2013. What were the main demands of Tamil film fraternity who undertook this fast? The rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils and an international probe into the alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Govt. 4) Mukesh Ambani struck a deal worth Rs. 1,200 crore with his younger brother Anil Ambani on 2 April, in which Mukesh will use his younger siblings optic fibre network for launch of his telecom venture. What is the name of Mukesh Ambanis new telecom venture, which would roll-out 4G services in the country through Anil Ambanis Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCom)? Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. (Under the terms of the agreement, Reliance Jio Infocomm will utilise multiple fibre pairs across RComs 1,20,000 kilometres inter-city fibre optic network to provide the backbone for rolling out its 4G services) 5) Which Indian state celebrated its 77th Foundation Day on 1 April 2013, with numerous programmes organized all over the state? Odisha (Orissa) The state was carved out from an amalgamated region of Bengal-Bihar-Orissa in 1936. Odishas foundation day is celebrated as Utkal Divas 6) Indias first fully private greenfield airport is to be set up at which place according to announcements made recently in this regard? Karaikal (Karaikal is situated in Tamil Nadu but comes under administrative control of the union territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry). Greenfield Airport means a new airport which is built from scratch in a new location because the existing airport is unable to meet the projected requirements of traffic. The Karaikal airport is to be built by Coimbatore-based Super Airport Infrastructure (India) Private Limited) 7) Which country recently became the first South-Asian country to auction spectrum airwaves for 4G (4th Generation) mobile services and is to start 4G mobile very soon? Sri Lanka 8) IPL 6 kicked off through a scintillating opening ceremony on 2 April 2013 at Kolkata. What was the venue of this opening ceremony, which is not a venue for official cricket matches in Kolkata? The Salt Lake Stadium (also known by its formal name Yuva Bharati Krirangan. This is at present the largest stadium in the Indian-subcontinent and is used for football matches and athletics events)
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April 4, 2013
1) What is the name of the substance developed by Chinese scientists, which is claimed to be the lightest substance in the world? Carbon Aerogel (This substance has a density only one sixth of that of the air. Prior to it Graphite Aerogel was the lightest substance, which was developed by German scientists last year and which had a density of 0.18 mg/cubic centimeter. Carbon Aerogel has been developed by scientists of Zhejiang University and has a density of only 0.16 mg/cubic centimeter) 2) What was the name of an activist of Students Federation of India (SFI), whose death allegedly in police custody on 2 April 2013 in Kolkata sparked-off massive protests in the city? Sudipta Gupta (The main opposition party of West Bengal, the CPM, jumped into protests demanding a judicial probe in the incident) 3) In a CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on 3 April 2013, the CAG came down heavily on the state govt. and several state public sector undertakings for causing loss to the exchequer by bestowing undue favours to large corporate entities. What was the estimated loss to state exchequer reported in this CAG report? Rs. 580 crore (CAG report claimed that major beneficiaries of state govt.s policy were Reliance Industries Limited, Essar Steel Limited and Adani Power Limited) 4) Beijing Olympics bronze-medal winning boxer Vijender Singh on 3 April 2013 gave his samples for dope testing to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). He had earlier refused to give his samples ever since he was linked to the seizure of heroin last month following which the Punjab Police confirmed that the boxer had consumed the recreational drug 12 times. NADA is an autonomous body under which ministry? Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India with headquarters in New Delhi 5) The first match of IPL season 6 was won by which team? Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who defeated Delhi Dare Devils by 6 wickets in the first match of this season held at Kolkatas Eden Gardens on 3 April 2013 6) Indias power regulator, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) offered a breather to Adani Power Limited (APL) by allowing the utility to temporarily hike electricity tariffs from its imported coal-based 4,620 MW power station, in its order of 2 April 2013. Where is this power plant of APLs situated? Mundra, Gujarat 7) President Pranab Mukherjee has recently rejected the mercy petition of a Haryana rape convict who was released on parole and went on to murder five members of the victims family. After this rejection the convict would now be hanged next week. What is the name of this convict, whose mercy petition was pending for last 14 years? Dharampal
8) An international experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on 3 April 2013 reported the observation of an excess of positrons in the cosmic ray flux, the source of which could be the elusive dark matter. This forms the most important part of the first results from the experiment, which sheds new light on dark matter. What is the name of this international experiment? Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) Thesearch for dark matter is one of the objectives of this space-borne AMS even as it is being actively searched for in ground-based experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and other experiments in deep underground experiments 9) President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 April 2013 signed which keenly watched bill, which was passed by both houses of the Parliament during March 2013? The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013 (The bill provides for strong anti-rape laws and for the first time brings stalking and voyeurism under criminal offences if committed more than once) 10) A recently released survey on children with disabilities (CWD), revealed that while 99% of these children liked attending regular schools, 57 per cent teachers were not trained to understand their special needs. This survey was commissioned to examine the enrolment, access and retention of CWD. Which institution conducted this survey? NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) This survey found that special needs of children with mental illnesses were neither being identified nor being addressed seriously, with a vast majority of techers not knowing how to cater to the specific needs of CWD
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April 5, 2013
1) Who is to be awarded the 2013 Templeton Prize worth $1.7 according to an announcement made by the Templeton Foundation on 4 April 2013? Desmond Tutu of South Africa (He was awarded for helping inspire people around the world by promoting forgiveness and justice. Tutu was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for standing up against white-minority rule. Templeton Prize was established in 1972 by the late American-born investor and philanthropist John Templeton and is worth more than the Nobel Prize in terms of monetary value. The prize would be given at a ceremony at the Guildhall in London on 21 May 2013) 2) Two-day talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries on a range of topics including Irans nuclear energy program are to be held at Almaty (Kazakhstan) on 5-6 April 2013. Which countries constitute the group of P5+1? China, Russia, France, Britain and the US plus Germany (Iran and the P5+1 have held several rounds of talks with a focus on the Iranian nuclear energy program. The last round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group was held in Almaty on 26-27 February 2013. P5+1 refers to 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, Russia, France, Britain and the US) plus Germany. It is a group of countries which in 2006 joined diplomatic efforts to bring transparency in Irans nuclear programme) 3) What is the name given to a new Facebook application for Android-driven smartphones and tablets that was unveiled on 4 April 2013 by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Menlo Park, California? Facebook Home (Facebook Home is the main engine which would drive Facebooks to-be-launched mobile phone. This new phone is being manufactured by Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC and is called First. This phone would be made available to US consumers from 12 April 2013) 4) CIIs Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2013 was held in which city, where Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on 4 April 2013 gave his vision of corporate India? New Delhi (The AGM was held on 3 and 4 April 2013 and was titled India of Tomorrow: Imperatives of Growth, Security and Governance)
April 6, 2013
1) Indias premier investigation agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)s 50th anniversary is being celebrated. The Golden Jubilee Function of the agency is to be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on 6 April 2013. When was the CBI established? On 1 April 1963 (It was established through a Home Ministry notification which converted erstwhile Special Police Establishment (SPE) into CBI as need was felt for it to not only probe bribery and vigilance cases but also those panning across state and national boundaries) 2) What was the name of a mapping contest held in February-March 2013 by Internet giant Google, complaint against which was filed by the Survey of India recently on charges of jeopardising national security interest and Indias National Map Policy? Mapathon 2013 (Google had launched the Mapathon contest between February 12 and March 25, asking Indians to map their neighbourhoods and send their maps so that they can be uploaded in the search engines sites. Google had also said it would reward the top 1,000 participants) 3) First case was reportedly registered under the newly constituted womens protection bill (Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013) at Delhi recently on stalking charges, which was incorporated in the bill. Which section of Indian Penal Code deals with stalking in this newly incorporated bill? Section 354 D of the IPC (This case was registered against a 25-year-old man, manning the counter of a cab company at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, who allegedly was stalking a female passenger who arrived at the airport through a flight from Ludhina) 4) Who is the new President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), who tenure would be effective for the year 2013-14? S. Gopalakrishnan (He is a co-founder and executive co-chairman of Infosys. Gopalakrishnan takes charge from Adi Godrej) 5) The case of two Italian marines has now been registered by which agency on 4 April 2013, who was handed over the case by the Home Ministry recently? The National Investigation Agency (NIA) The two marines Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone are being tried for allegedly shooting two Indian fishermen Jelastin and Pinku on 15 February 2012 from onboard an Italian naval ship Enrica Lexie in the Arabian Sea 6) Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharrafs nomination papers for a becoming a candidate in a parliamentary constituency in Pakistans Punjab province was rejected on 5 April 2013 for which reason? On the ground that the signature did not match the one on his national identity card 7) Who was recently appointed as the chairman of the Construction Skills Development Council (CSDC)? Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) CSDC is a skill council set up for the construction sector approved by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a public-private partnership of the Union Ministry of Finance 8) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 4 April 2013 announced decontrol of countrys sugar sector after accepting the recommendations of a committee on sugar price decontrol. Who was the Chairman of this committee, which submitted its report on 27 March 2013 to the Union Govt.? Dr C. Rangarajan, Chairman Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
April 5, 2013
5) Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the 85-year old Man Booker Prize winner and a winner of two academy awards, who passed away on 3 April 2013 at her home in Manhattan, was associated with which famous film production house which had Indian connections? Ivory Merchant Productions (Jhabvala won Man Booker Prize in 1975 for her novel Heat and Dust and won Academy awards (Oscars) for Best Screenplay for two films A Room With a View (1986) and Howards End (1992). Ivory Merchant Productions was collaboration between producer James Ivory and Indian director Ismail Merchant) 6) Public sector power major NTPC announced relocation of a 1,600 MW coal-based project proposed to be built in Gajmara in Odisha to a new place due to delay in land and environmental clearances. This project worth about Rs. 11, 000 crore is now to be build in which state? Madhya Pradesh (at Gadarwara) 7) What is the name of a vessel coming from Dubai, which was intercepted off Mumbai coast on 4 April 2013 by the Coast Guard on suspicion of carrying a satellite phone? - MSV Yusufi (The Coast Guard intercepted calls allegedly made through the Thuraya satellite phone on board the vessel and subsequently intercepted the vessel and arrested 5 persons)
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April 7, 2013
9) Which two archaic policies pertaining to sugar control were abolished by the govt. in the announcement made to decontrol sugar sector of the country? A) The levy sugar mechanism has been abolished for 2 years. Under this mechanism, the sugar producing companies were liable to sell 10% of their produce to the government at subsidised rates of Rs10 per kg less than the open market price (This move is expected to result in release of almost 3 million metric tonnes of sugar from the ambit of subsidized prices) B) The regulated release order mechanism has been abolished. Under this mechanism sugar companies had to sell only a certain percentage of their produce in the open market 10) International Workshop on Green National Accounting was held on 5 April 2013 at New Delhi 1) Who on 6 April 2013 became the first Indian to successfully circumnavigate the globe, solo and non-stop in a journey of over 150-days? Lt. Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy (Tomy completed his journey by his boat INSV Mhadei. He started his journey on 1 November 2012 from Mumbais Gateway of India and arrived at the same spot on 6 April. He sailed around 23,100 nautical miles, crossing the Indian, Southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. His route, from West to East, took him south of the continents of Australia, South America and Africa, thus rounding the three Great Capes Cape Leeuwin in Australia, Cape Horn in South America and Cape of Good Hope in Africa. INSV Mhadei was custom-built for the Indian Navy in 2009 and is named after a river in Goa. Tomy was accorded a warm welcome for his feat by the President Pranab Mukherjee) 2) Indian sportswoman Rahi Sarnobat, who was in the news recently, is associated with which sports? Shooting (Rahi became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a gold medal in an ISSF World Cup, when she won a gold medal in the World Cup in Changwon in South Korea on 5 April 2013. Anjali Bhagwat, Gagan Narang, Sanjeev Rajput, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Ronjan Sodhi and Manavjit Singh Sandhu are other Indian shooters to have won gold medal at ISSF World Cups, but they all were rifle shooters unlike Rahi who is a pistol shooter) 3) Next phase of union govt.s ambitious Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme would be started from which date, as announced in a meeting of the National Committee on DBT held on 5 April 2013? 1 July 2013 (Under this new phase 78 more districts would be included in the DBT scheme, with which total number of districts covered under the scheme would rise to 121. DBT scheme would cover 1/5th of the country with this proposed expansion) 4) What is the name of a Bangladeshi hard-line Muslim group, thousands of whose members rallied in countrys capital on 6 April 2013, demanding enactment of an anti-blasphemy law in order to punish those who insult Islam? Hifazat-e-Islam (Members of this group are targeting a group of bloggers who have of-late seeking capital punishment for those found guilty of war crimes during nations 1971 independence war) 5) What was the result of the meeting of P5+1 group of countries with Iran on the issue of Irans nuclear program, which concluded at Almaty (Kazakhstan) on 6 April 2013? Talks failed to reach any conclusion (The two sides failed to reach an agreement on an approach to reducing fears that Iran might use its nuclear technology to make weapons. P5+1 refers to 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, Russia, France, Britain and the US) plus Germany) 6) India on 6 April 2013 regained its place in Davis Cups Asia-Oceania Group I after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in their relegation play-off tie at Bangalore. India defeated which team in this relegation play-off? Indonesia (Indian doubles pair of Leander Paes and Sanam Singh defeated Indonesias pair of David Agung Susant and Elbert Sie by 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 to take India again into Asia-Oceania Group I) 7) Who will play against Indias Vishwanathan Anand for the Chess World Championship title in November 2013? Norways Magnus Carlsen (Carlsen got the right to play for World Championship title after winning the IET Championship at London, where he defeated Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in a tense final match. Carlsen is now the highest rated chess player ever and is fancied by many to become new chess world champion) 15 16
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April 8, 2013
8) What are the main features of the revised consolidated guidelines on FDI issued by the union govt. on 6 April 2013? It incorporates the changes with regard to foreign investment in multi brand retail sector (which was increased to 51% last year), single brand retail sector (which was increased to 100% last year) and allows Pakistani nationals to invest in India
1) Which agency on 7 April 2013 carried out the successful test fire of the medium-range nuclear capable Agni-II missile, which has a strike range of more than 2,000 KM? The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army (The test was conducted from a mobile launcher from the Launch Complex 4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) situated at Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. The test was carried out as part of a training exercise by the SFC as this missile has already been inducted into the services) 2) The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has recently given its approval to build how many more nuclear power plants at the Kudankulam Nuclear Complex in Tamil Nadu? Two (CCS have its go-ahead to a Russian offer of about Rs. 40,000 crore for the project. The go-ahead was given a few days before the offer lapsed on 31 March 2013) 3) Union Govt. is expected to set up a separate intelligence unit to check the menace of tax-evasions and stop leakage of revenue, name of Directorate of Anti Evasion (DAE) was proposed for which. DAE is proposed to be set up to check evasion of mainly which tax? Service Tax (The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has detected service tax evasion of Rs 9,800 crore during April-December period of the last fiscal (2012-13) against Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in the same period of 2011-12) 4) What is Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s deadline for Indian commercial banks to avail chip-based debit and credit cards for all their customers who do international transactions? 30 June 2013 5) Appointment of Sindhushree Khullar is being considered for which post by the Union Govt., even as the opposition is expected to oppose this proposed appointment on grounds of some controversies associated with her? CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) Sindhushree Khullars name is being considered for CAG as present CAG Vinod Rais term is to end on 22 May 2013. However, Khullars proposed appointment as CAG faces hurdles as her name featured in the 2G and Commonwealth Games scams and she was also summoned by the JPC last year, who was probing these scams) 6) India defeated Indonesia by what margin in the Davis Cup relegation play-off tie at Bangalore, which concluded on 7 April 2013? 5-0 (With this win, India again regained its place in Asia-Oceania Group I)
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April 9, 2013
1) Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who passed away on 8 April 2013, was the only woman prime minister in Britains history. In which years she led the country? From 1979 to 1990 (She governed the country for the longest continuous period in office by a British premier since the early 19th century and led the Conservatives to three election victories. Some of her greatest achievements were privatizing numerous British govt. corporations, leading a war to recover the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders and striking close relationships with numerous important leaders of her time including US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev) 2) Which sector has been allowed for the first time by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to start degree colleges in the 2013-14 academic session as per recent announcements made by the AICTE? Private corporate groups (The AICTE has allowed a private limited company or public limited company, with a turnover of Rs. 100 crore each year for the past three years, to start an under-graduate, post-graduate and diploma institute. So far corporate groups were only allowed to organize lectures and specific projects at AICTE-approved technical groups) 3) Which city of India would host the upcoming final of World Chess Championship, to be held between Indias current World Champion Vishwanathan Anand and Norways world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen? Chennai (This final would be held between 6 November and 26 November 2013) 4) Which Indian two-wheeler company has recently joined hands with German automaker BMWs motorcycle division BMW Motorrad to manufacture a new series of motorcycles below the 500cc segment? TVS Motor Company (This deal will give TVS access to BMWs legendary motorcycle technology. However, the two company would only join hands for technological collaboration and would continue to sell individual versions of the bikes through their own channels) 5) Social activist Medha Patkar has been on an indefinite fast to protest against evictions from which slum of Mumbai? Golibar (This slum area located in Mumbais Khar (East) has been witnessing huge outpouring from civil society and social-activists since several slums were razed in the area, which had allegedly been in existence for last 60 years. Patkar has been protesting against Mumbais Slum Rehabilitation Schemes ill-functioning and also against Union Housing Minister Ajay Makens tirade against slums) 6) Who took over as the new Chairman of NASSCOM on 8 April 2013? Krishnakumar Natarajan, Managing Director and CEO of Mindtree (He took over from N Chandrasekaran, MD and CEO of TCS, who served as the Chairman for the year 2012-13. Natarajans tenure would be for 2013-14. NASSCOM is the body that represents the $100 billion Indian IT-BPO industry) 7) Which insurance company was appointed by the Union Govt. as the manager for the Rs. 2,000 crore insurance fund, which would cover oil imports from Iran? General Insurance Company GIC (A decision had already been taken to create an insurance fund that would allow refiners to import crude oil from Iran, which has been on the decline during the past one year due to U.S. and EU sanctions)
8) The Biodiversity Special Science Express, which was re-launched in its 2nd phase on 9 April 2013 from Delhis Safdarjung railway station, is an initiative of which ministry? The Ministry of Environment & Forests (The present run of the train is the 2nd Phase in the two phase programme envisaged to cover a minimum of 100 locations on broad gauge network of Indian Railway across the entire length & breadth of the country)
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8) Who was appointed as the fourth President of Kenya on 9 April 2013? Uhuru Kenyatta (He is son of Kenyas first President Jomo Kenyatta who was countrys president from 1964 to 1978. Uhuru becomes the second sitting African president to face charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations that he helped orchestrate the vicious violence that marred the 2007 elections. He succeeded Mwai Kibaki)
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1) According to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) car sales in the country fell by 6.69% in 2012-13. Car sales fell for the first time in how many years? 10 years (This is the first annual decline in car sales since 2002-03, when car sales had dropped by 2.09%) 2) A Delhi court on 10 April 2013 set aside the CBI closure report on Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and ordered the reopening of the case against him in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, thus giving a huge set-back to him. In which year the CBI had filed a closure report, after reinvestigating the case on court orders? In 2009 3) Meghalaya Power Minister on 10 April 2013 informed the state assembly that Bangladesh has opposed the construction of two hydro-based power projects along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state until the two countries sign a water sharing agreement. Which two dams are these? The Mawphu dam across river Umiew and Myntdu dam across river Myntdu in East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts, respectively (Bangladeshs Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is of the view that the two dams might cause adverse impacts in various sectors in Bangladesh due to change of water flow) 4) Robert Edward, the inventor of In Verto Fertilization (IVF) technique, popularly known as test-tube baby technique, passed away on 10 April 2013 at the age of 87 in Britain. When was the first baby born with assistance of the IVF technique? In 1978 (The first baby born with this technique was Louis Brown, a girl. Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 for his invention) 5) Which passenger train derailed at Sitheri in Tamil Nadu on 10 April 2013, in which one passenger died and more than 30 were injured? Muzaffarpur- Yesvantpur Express, which was bound for Bangalore (Sitheri is about 90 km from Chennai) 6) What is another name of the nuclear-capable Hatf-IV ballistic missile, which was successfully test-fired by Pakistan on 10 April 2013? Shaheen-1 (This ballistic missile has a range of 900 km and can hit targets in India) 7) The much-anticipated general elections in Malaysia are to be held on which date, as announced by countrys election commission on 10 April 2013? 5 May 2013 (Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had dissolved countrys parliament on 3 April 2013. His party National Front, which has ruled for 56 years, is expected to face its toughest challenge yet from the opposition Peoples Alliance coalition in this election) 8) A member of the third generation of the Amarnath family made his first-class cricket debut recently. What is his name? Digvijay Amarnath (Digvijays grandfather late Lala Amarnath scored Indias first ever Test Century and later on went on to lead India and is a father figure in Indian cricket. His father Surinder Amarnath, who captained the Indian Schoolboys Test Team, later went on to score a century on Test debut like his father Lala Amarnath. His uncle Mohinder Amarnath played a leading role in Indias first ever World Cup win in 1983 and was one of the most popular cricketers of his era. Digvijay has now joined his legendary family of cricketers with his first class debut in Sri Lanka)
1) Which Indian state on 11 April 2013 launched a new scheme titled Amma Hastham with an objective of supplying nine essential food items to the poor at subsidized rates? Andhra Pradesh (Amma Hastham means mothers hand. Under this scheme the poor would be provided 9 items which include wheat, wheat flour, palm oil, red gram, salt, sugar, tamarind, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on the occasion of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year) 2) An inter-ministerial committee was constituted last year to review existing and ongoing hydroelectric projects on river Ganga and its tributaries, which has submitted its report. Who is the chairman of this committee? BK Chaturvedi, member Planning Commission (This committee has suggested that instead of stopping construction of dams on Ganga emphasis should be on re-designing these dams, which could ensure availability of adequate flow for the river. However, reports suggestions are rejected by many organisations and persons who are opposing construction of dams on Ganga) 3) The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Ministry of Defence has crossed an important milestone in its last meeting held on 2 April 2013. What is this important milestone? DAC for the first time decided to allow Indian private entities to participate in a bid for making artillery guns (Till now the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) used to automatically get these orders. OFB will also have to bid to get order now. This is for the first time that the Union Govt. has decided to let the Indian private sector make an offensive weapon platform) 4) Famous cricket almanac Wisden, which is popularly known as The Bible of Cricket, recently completed how many years of its publication? 150 years (This almanacs official name is Wisden Cricketers Almanack and was first published in 1964 and its 150th edition was published on 11 April 2013. Wisden was started by English cricketer John Wisden 5) What is the name of Honda Motor Companys first diesel car in India, which was launched on 11 April 2013? Amaze (The car was launched in diesel as well as petrol version. Amaze series has been launched by Hondas wholly-owned arm in India Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL)) 6) The global sales of computers during the first three months of 2013 fell by about 14% as reported by International Data Corporation (IDC), the research firm engaged in IT segment projections. According to IDCs report computers are being given a tough fight by which devices? Smartphones and tablets 7) Who recently became the countrys first recipient of the Aadhaar number-linked payment system under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme? Madduri Lakshmi Devi, a daily wage-earner from Andhra Pradesh (The national launch of this scheme was done on 1 April 2013 at Kalikiri village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union IT and Communications Minister K Kriparani) 24
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9) An India-Saudi Arabia joint working group has been formed that will work toward minimising the fallout of the Saudis Nitaqat policy on Indians. This group would hunt for solutions such as providing alternative jobs within Saudi Arabia and making the exit smooth for those who may have to leave the country. Who is heading this group? Sibi George, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy and Ahamed Al Humaidan, Saudi Arabias Deputy Minister for Labour Affairs (Indian workers have been hit by the policy, which reserves a certain percentage of the workforce in commercial establishments for Saudi nationals. This newly formed group will hold its first meeting in Riyadh on 1 May 2013) 10) Who was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy on 28 April 2013? Enrico Letta (Letta is the deputy head of the Democratic Party and his appointment has ended two months of political stalemate since Februarys inconclusive election when he brought together former political rivals in a broad coalition government)
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