GK UPDATE: JULY PART-II

1. World Population Day is observed across the world on 11 July. World population day was first celebrated in which year? A. 1980 B. 1987 C. 1999 C. 2004 D. 2010
Ans. B

BACKGROUND:
World Population Day was observed across the world on 11 July 2014. The theme of World Population Day 2014 was “Investing in Young People”. World Population Day is observed to bring awareness to people about importance of small families and living healthy lives. The day is celebrated with several programs that are initiated to educate people about family planning methods.

About World Population Day
World population day was first celebrated in 1987, the day when world population reached five billion people. At present, the day is celebrated across 200 countries by Government Organizations, NGOs and numerous non-profit organizations by arranging special campaigns and programs to educate people about global population issues. The World population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 from 2.5 billion in 1950. The 7 billion people are both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment.

2. Union Ministry for Railways has launched a Social Media Platform for Indian Railways. Who is the Union Minister for Indian Railways? A. Nitin Gadkari B. Venkaiya Naidu C. Sadanand Gowda D. Smita Irani
Ans. C

BACKGROUND:
Union Ministry of Railways launched Social Media Platform for the Indian Railways on 7 July 2014. With this, customers can connect with the Railways through Facebook and Twitter. Besides, all the importantannouncements of Railways starting with Rail Budget 2014-15 will be available to the customers on 24×7 basis.

3. Veteran actress _______ died recently at the age of 102. A. Nanda B. Zohra Sehgal C. Shubha Phutela D. Pallavi Purkayastha
Ans. B

BACKGROUND:
Veteran actress, Zohra Sehgal died on 10 July 2014 at a private Hospital in New Delhi. She was 102. She died due to cardiac arrest. Veteran actress, Zohra Sehgal died on 10 July 2014 at a private Hospital in New Delhi. She was 102. She died due to cardiac arrest. Zohra Sehgal as an actress made a mark across generations and was associated with Bollywood for seven decades. She was called as the grand old lady of Bollywood.

About Zohra Sehgal

• In 2010, Zohra was awarded with the Padma Vibhushan
• She was also a recipient of other two of India’s four civilian awards Padma Shri (1998), Padma Bhushan (2002)
• She was also a recipient of Kalidas Samman (2001) the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement (2004), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1963)
• Sehgal’s daughter Kiran in 2012 wrote her biography named Zohra Segal: Fatty

4. Union Health Ministry has constituted a core group to eradicate ________ by 2015. A. Kala Azar B. Chancroid C. Chavia D. Dengue
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
Union Health Ministry on 8 July 2014 constituted a core group to work out a detailed action plan to eradicate the dreaded vector-borne disease, Kala Azar by 2015. Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan has advised the core group to expedite the process to eradicate the disease from the country. India’s progress against Kala Azar is unsatisfactory. Earlier, the Union Government in 2004 had set a target to wipe out the disease by 2008, which has been revised twice to 2010 and now to 2015.

About Kala Azar
Globally, Kala Azar is known as Visceral Leishmaniasis, a zoonotic infection and is world’s second deadliest vector borne disease after Malaria. The disease is carried by sand fly found in the eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and usually strikes during the months of the monsoon. At present, the disease is concentrated in about 54 districts of India, of which Bihar is the worst affected state.

5. FIFA has suspended which of the following teams from international football competitions? A. Nigeria B. Brazil C. Argentina D. Columbia
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
FIFA on 9 July 2014 suspended Nigeria from all international football competitions with immediate effect. Nigeria was suspended on account of government interference in running Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The Statement released by FIFA includes that during the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, or in friendly matches. The decision was taken after the Nigerian Government sacked the NFF executive committee and appointed a civil servant to manage NFF. FIFA had given Nigeria until 9 July 2014 to reinstate the sacked Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) executive committee. Nigeria reached the second round of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil and this is the third time to reach second round of World Cup in their history (earlier in 1994 and 1998).

6. India and ______ have decided to initiate civil nuclear cooperation.
Ans. United Kingdom

BACKGROUND:
India and United Kingdom on 8 July 2014 decided to launch negotiations for civil nuclear cooperation. The decision was taken during the visit of UK foreign secretary of state William Hague to India. He visited India on 7- 8 July 2014. The Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and UK foreign secretary of state William Hague had discussions on variety of issues related to bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. The discussions were wide-ranging and extensive and covered variety of issues like civil nuclear cooperation, extradition, counter-terrorism and cyber issues as well as security situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The issues mainly included economic ties between the two countries. At present, the Bilateral trade between the UK and India stands at 15 billion US dollars. India demanded extradition of British citizen Raymond Varley, accused of being a part of an international paedophile ring and abusing children in Goa in the 1980s and 1990s. Besides, India also invited British companies to invest in its Bangalore-Mumbai Economic Corridor infrastructure project.

7. Indian economy is expected to grow in the range of ______ percent in the financial year 2014-15.
Ans. 5.4 to 5.9

BACKGROUND:
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on 9 July 2014 presented Economic Survey of India 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha. This was the first economic survey of the new government led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. India’s economy in financial year 2014-15 is expected to grow in the range of 5.4 – 5.9 percent overcoming sub-5 percent growth. The Survey listed certain risk factors for the growth and they are poor monsoon, the external environment and the poor investment climate. The Economic Survey is presented every year, just before the Union Budget and after the Railway Budget. It is an annual document of the Union Ministry of Finance, Government of India and it reviews the developments in the Indian economy of previous 12 months (fiscal year). It summarizes the performance on major development programmes, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term.

Highlights

• Economy to grow in the range of 5.4 – 5.9 per cent in 2014-15 overcoming sub-5 percent growth.
• Growth slowdown was broad based, affecting in particular the industry sector.
• Aided by favourable monsoons, agricultural and allied sector registered a growth of 4.7 per cent in 2013-14.
• Industry and Service sectors also witnessed slowdown.
• Reforms needed for long term-growth prospects on 3 fronts- low and stable inflation regime, tax and expenditure reform and regulatory framework.
• Survey suggests removal of restriction on farmers to buy, sell and store their produce to customers across the country and the world.
• Rationalisation of subsidies on inputs such as fertilizer and food is essential.
• Government needs to eventually move towards income support for farmers and poor households.
• The fiscal policy for 2013-14 was calibrated with two-fold objectives; first, to aid growth revival; and second, to reach the FD level targeted for 2013-14.
• The Budget for 2013-14 followed the policy of revenue augmentation and expenditure rationalization to contain government spending within sustainable limits.
• The fiscal outcome of the central government in 2013-14 was achieved despite the macroeconomic challenges of growth slowdown, elevated levels of global crude oil prices, and slow growth of investment.
• High inflation, particularly food inflation, was the result of structural as well as seasonal factors.
• IMF projects most global commodity prices are expected to remain flat during 2014-15.
• The RBI with a view to restoring stability to the foreign exchange market hiked short term interest rate in July and compressed domestic money market liquidity.
• RBI has indentified five sectors — infrastructure, iron and steel, textiles, aviation and mining as the stressed sectors.
• Public sector banks (PSBs) have high exposures to the ‘industry’ sector in general and to such ‘stressed’ sectors in particular.
• The New Pension System (NPS), now National Pension System, introduced for the new recruits who join government service on or after January 2004, represents a major reform of Indian pension arrangements.
• The next wave of infrastructure financing will require a capable bond market.

8. Who among the following has been appointed as UN Goodwill Ambassador? A. Gillian Anderson B. Emma Watson C. Jennifer Love Hewitt D. Lindsay Lohan
Ans. B

BACKGROUND:
Emma Watson, the British Actress on 8 July 2014 was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. With this appointment, the accomplished actress and humanitarian Watson will work for empowerment of young women and also as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality. Watson is the first Goodwill Ambassador appointment under Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka’s leadership. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.

About Emma Watson

• Watson is popularly known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series
• She in May 2014 graduated from Ivy League institution Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature
• She has been involved in the promotion of girls’ education for several years and earlier has visited to Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts

About UN Women
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women goodwill ambassadors include Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol.

9. Supreme Court has recently appointed three judges. Who among the following is NOT one of these? A. Arun Mishra B. Adarsh Kumar Goel C. Rohington F Nariman D. Gopal Subramaniu
Ans. D

BACKGROUND:
Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Rohinton F Nariman were appointed as Supreme Court judges on 7 July 2014. The three judges were administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha. Justice Mishra and Justice Goel were the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and the Orissa High Court, respectively. Justice Nariman was a senior advocate at the Supreme Court and has been elevated from the advocates bar. With this appointments, the Supreme Court‘s bench strength is raised to 27 including Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha. The sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court is 31, including the CJI and all of them are appointed by the President of India.

About Arun Mishra

• Justice Mishra was part of law faculty in Jiwaji University, Gwalior from 1986 to 1996.
• He was appointed as Additional Judge in the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1999 and was made a Permanent Judge in 2001.
• He was appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 26th November 2010.
• In 2012, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court as Chief Justice.

About Adarsh Kumar Goel

• Justice Goel was designated senior advocate by the Supreme Court in 1999.
• He was appointed a judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2001.
• He was appointed Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on 20th December 2011.
• He was transferred to the Orissa High Court as Chief Justice on 12th October 2013.

About Rohington F Nariman

• Rohington F Nariman is the fifth lawyer to be elevated as Supreme Court judge, who has a term of about seven years.
• In July 2011, he was appointed as the Solicitor General of India.

10. ________, the ex-President of Georgia died recently at the age of 86. A. Mark Becker B. Mikheil Saakashvil C. Eduard Shevardnadze D. Giorgi Margvelashvili
Ans. C

BACKGROUND:
Eduard Shevardnadze, the former President of Georgia died on 7 July 2014. He died after prolong illness at the age of 86. He became the second President of Georgia in 1992 after disintegration of Georgia from the erstwhile Soviet Union. He had succeeded Zviad Gamsakhurdia. He was toppled in November 2003 after the Rose Revolution led by Mikheil Saakashvili. He was alleged about irregularities in Parliamentary polls as well as with corruption and nepotism. However, Eduard Shevardnadze led Georgia out from the long running instability and civil war.

About Eduard Shevardnadze

• He was born in 1928 in Lanchkhuti, Georgia
• In 1946, he joined the youth movement of the Communist party and became the party’s Georgia head in 1972
• In 1985 under reformist leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he was appointed as the foreign minister of the Soviet Union
• In 1990 he resigned from the post and rejoined it in 1991 when Soviet Union was disintegrating
• He was credited with helping end the Cold War
• He authored his memoir titled The Future Belongs to Freedom
• He was the last foreign minister of Soviet Union

11. __________ is the doubles partner of Sania Mirza.
Ans. Cara Black

BACKGROUND:
Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis ace, along with her Zimbabwean doubles partner Cara Black on 7 July 2014 were ranked career-best fifth in the latest WTA Doubles rankings. This feat was achieved by the duo after displaying some consistent results on their tour to just concluded Wimbledon championships. Their appearance in the second round fetched them crucial 130 ranking points which was enough to push them under top-5. Sania, who became a professional tennis player in 2003, entered the top-five chart for the first time in her career. On the other hand in the ATP rankings, Somdev Devvarman was dropped by 10 places to 135 due to his poor performance. In the doubles Leander Paes remained unchanged at number 13. Rohan Bopanna was dropped three places to sit on the edge of top-20.

12. The book “Working a Democratic Republic: The Indian Experience” has been written by A. Granville Austin B. Adam Paul C. Andrew Howard D. Justin Hanger
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
Granville Austin, the eminent scholar of the Indian Constitution died on 6 July 2014 in Washington DC. He died at the age of 87. He described Indian Constitution as first and foremost a social document that embodied the objectives of a social revolution.

About Granville Austin

• He authored two books on Indian Constitution. These are: A. The Indian Constitution – The Indian Constitution: A Cornerstone of a Nation B. Working a Democratic Republic: The Indian Experience
• In 2011, he was awarded with fourth highest civilian award in India, Padma Shri. He was awarded in recognition of his writings on the framing and working of the Indian Constitution.
• He worked as a journalist and photographer
• He was born in 1927 at Norwich, Vermont
• He earned recognition in the form of numerous fellowships and grants, including from St. Antony’s College, Oxford, the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the

13. What is the proposed name of the Integrated Ganga Development Project for which Rs. 2037 crore have been allocated in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. Namami Ganga B. Maa Ganga C. Bhagirathi D. Jeevan Vaahini
Ans. A

14. What is the proposed name of the new 24X7 TV channel for northeast region that was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. Poorab Prabha B. Arun Prabha C. East24 D. Sooraj Disha
Ans. B

15. What is the name of the dedicated TV channel for farmers that was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. Bhoomi TV B. Kisan TV C. Dharti TV D. Kheti24
Ans. B

16. The fiscal deficit target for year 2014-15 has been retained at the level announced by UPA Govt. in its interim budget. What is this level? A. 4.1% of GDP B. 5.1 % of GDP C. 6 % of GDP D. 7 % of GDP
Ans. A

17. How much foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s defence sector has been proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. 51% B. 49% C. 65% D. 33%
Ans. B

18. The maximum investment limit under Section 80-C has been increased from Rs. 1 lakh to ____A. 2 lakh B. 1.5 lakh C. 3 lakh D. 2.5 lakh
Ans. B

19. The upper limit for savings in the Public Provident Fund (PPF) has been raised from Rs. 1 Lakh to Rs. _____ in the Union Budget 2014-15. A. Rs. 150000 B. Rs 50000 C. Rs 80000 D. Rs 75000
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 10 July 2014 presented Union Budget 2014-15. The Union Budget introduced many new initiatives like Financial Inclusion Mission, Debt Recovery Tribunals to improve the economic system in India and also introduced National Savings Certificate, a new insurance cover to provide additional benefits for the small saver.

Banking

• Time bound programme as Financial Inclusion Mission to be launched on 15 August 2014 with focus on the weaker sections of the society.
• Banks to be encouraged to extend long term loans to infrastructure sector with flexible structuring.
• Banks to be permitted to raise long term funds for lending to infrastructure sector with minimum regulatory pre-emption such as CRR, SLR and Priority Sector Lending (PSL).
• RBI to create a framework for licensing small banks and other differentiated banks.
• Differentiated banks serving niche interests, local area banks, payment banks etc. are contemplated to meet credit and remittance needs of small businesses, unorganized sector, low income households, farmers and migrant work force.
• Six new Debt Recovery Tribunals to be set up.
• For venture capital in the MSME sector, a 10000 crore rupees fund to act as a catalyst to attract private Capital by way of providing equity , quasi equity, soft loans and other risk capital for start-up companies with suitable tax incentives to participating private funds to be established.

Insurance Sector

• The pending insurance laws (amendment) Bill to be immediately brought for consideration of the Parliament.
• The regulatory gap under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banking) Act, 1978 will be bridged.

Small Savings

• Kissan Vikas Patra (KVP) to be reintroduced.
• A special small savings instrument to cater to the requirements of educating and marriage of the Girl Child to be introduced.
• A National Savings Certificate with insurance cover to provide additional benefits for the small saver.
• In the Public Provident Fund (PPF) Scheme, annual ceiling will be enhanced to 1.5 lakh rupees per annum from1 lakh rupees at present.

20. The income tax exemption limit for individuals has been raised from Rs. 2 lakh to ______ A. Rs. 2.5 lakh B. Rs. 3 lakh C. Rs. 4 Lakh D. Rs. 5 lakh
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
The income tax exemption limit for senior citizens was raised to Rs. 3 lakh.

21. The Crisis Management Center for Women (CMCW) that was proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15, will be established at _______. A. Jaipur B. Delhi C. Chennai D. Mumbai
Ans. B

22. How much fund has been set aside for the proposed National Rural Internet and Technology Mission (NRITM)? A. 1000 Crore B. 500 crore C. 1500 crore D. 400 crore
Ans. B

23. How much fund has been allocated for creating smart cities in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. Rs. 7,060 crore B. Rs 1000 crore C. Rs 2000 crore D. Rs 8000 crore
Ans. A

24. FDI in insurance sector has been increased from the present 26% to ______ in the Union Budget 2014-15. A. 51% B. 49% C. 60% D. 75%
Ans. B

25. What is the corpus size of the venture capital fund for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which was proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15? A. 15000 Cr B. 20000 Cr C. 5000 Cr D. 10,000 Cr
Ans. D

26. What special feature has been proposed for currency notes in the Union Budget 2014-15?
Ans. Braille-features to benefit the visually-disabled people

27. 5 new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have been proposed to be established in which 5 states of the country?
Ans. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha and Maharashtra

28. Complete revamp of Indian Repository Receipts (IRR) was proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15. What is the new name proposed for IRR in the budget? A. Hindu Respository Receipts B. Bharat Respository Receipts (BRR) C. Gandhi Respository Receipts D. Sardar Patel Respository Receipts
Ans. B

29. The National Industrial Corridor (NIC) that has been proposed to be established in the Union Budget 2014-15 will have its headquarters in which city? A. Mumbai B. New Delhi C. Pune D. Kolkata
Ans. C

30. Who among the following has won the Wimbledon 2014 Women Singles title? A. Serena Williams B. LI Na C. Maria Sharapova D. Petra Kvitova
Ans. D

BACKGROUND:
The 2014 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, from 23 June to 6 July 2014. They were the 128th championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, played on grass courts and part of the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour. They were organised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation. The 2014 Champions are as follows:

• Men’s Singles – Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
• Women’s Singles – Petra Kvitová (Czech Republic)
• Men’s Doubles – Vasek Pospisil (Canada) / Jack Sock (United States)
• Women’s Doubles – Sara Errani (Italy) / Roberta Vinci (Italy)
• Mixed Doubles – Nenad Zimonjić (Serbia) / Samantha Stosur (Australia)

31. What is the name given to the ambitious high speed rail network that has been proposed in the Rail Budget 2014-15? A. Gold Quadrilateral B. Diamond Quadrilateral C. Pragati Network D. Sulabh Rail Network
Ans. B

32. India’s first bullet train has been proposed to be run on which rail sector as announced in the Rail Budget? A. Delhi – Mumbai B. Ahmedabad-Mumbai C. Mumbai – Kolkata D. Mumbai – Chennai
Ans. B

33. How many sectors have been finalized for the high-speed trains that have been proposed in the Rail Budget 2014-15? A. 8 B. 12 C. 6 D. 9
Ans. D

BACKGROUND:
These nine sectors are: Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Chandigarh, Nagpur-Bilaspur, Goa-Mumbai, Chennai-Hyderabad, Delhi-Kanpur, Delhi-Pathankot, Mysore-Bangalore-Chennai, and Nagpur-Secunderabad

34. How many new train services have been proposed in the Rail Budget 2014-15? A. 58 B. 42 C. 68 D. 24
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
This includes 27 express trains, 5 premium trains, 6 AC express trains, 5 Janasadharan trains, 8 passenger trains, 5 DEMU services and 2 MEMU services.

35. In how many years will Indian Railways be made paperless as proposed in the Rail Budget 2014-15? A. 5 B. 6
C. 12 D. 10
Ans. A

BACKGROUND:
Facilities like Mobile alerts for wake up calls, arrival alerts and digital reservation charts at station have also been proposed.