GK Daily Updates: 7th January 2015

1) The Sarkaria Commission was appointed?

(A) To examine center-state relations

(B) To examine the working of public sector undertakings

(C) To resolve the dispute regarding sharing of Cauveri waters

(D) To find a solution to the Punjab crisis 

2) Who among the following was the chief guest at India's first Republic day celebrations in 1950?

(A) King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutan

(B) Sukarno, President of Indonesia

(C) Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Pakistan

(D) Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom

3)  Swaraj Party was formed after the failure of the which Movement?

(A) Quit India

(B) Non-Cooperation

(C) Civil Disobedience

(D) Swadeshi

4) 'Ek Tukda Dharti, Ek Tukda Aakash', a collection of poems, contains poems written by which former Prime Minister of India?

(A) Chandrashekhar

(B) Atal Bihari Vajpayee

(C) VP Singh

(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

5) Which is the southernmost active volcano in the world?

(A) Mt. Etna

(B) Mt Bromo

(C) Mt Yasur

(D) Mt. Erebus

6) Sir Edmund Hillary served as which county’s high commissioner to India,Bangladesh and Nepal?

(A) Canada 

(B) Australia

(C) New Zealand

(D) United Kingdom

7) In 1943, who became the first Indian to be appointed as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?

(A) C.D. Deshmukh

(B) K.G. Ambegaonkar

(C) Benegal Rama Rau

(D) H.V.R. Iyengar

8) The Indian Muslim League was founded in?

(A) 1902

(B) 1906

(C) 1909

(D) 1916

9) The Chinar tree is found in abundance in which state of India, where it is also the state tree?

(A) West Bengal

(B) Jammu and Kashmir

(C)  Kerala

(D) Uttar Pradesh

10) In humans, which protein transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of body?

(A) Lectin

(B) Keratin

(C) Collagen

(D) Hemoglobin

Answers

1) Ans. (A) To examine center-state relations

2) Ans. (B) Sukarno, President of Indonesia

3) Ans. (B) Non-Cooperation

4) Ans. (C) VP Singh

5) Ans. (D) Mt. Erebus

6) Ans. (C) New Zealand

7) Ans. (A) C.D. Deshmukh

8) Ans. (B) 1906

9) Ans. (B) Jammu and Kashmir

10) Ans. (D) Hemoglobin

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 6 January 2015

1) Sindhushree Khullar to be appointed NITI Aayog CEO: Former Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar is set to be appointed as CEO of the newly formed NITI Aayog. Khullar's name has been cleared for appointment as CEO of the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), sources said, adding that orders could be issued any time. Khullar, a 1975 batch UT cadre IAS officer, had taken over as Secretary Planning Commission in April 2012 replacing the Member Secretary of the body Sudha Pillai. 

2) PM released commemorative coin on Jamsetji Tata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 January 2015 praised Jamsetji Tata for his vision of environment-friendly energy as he released a commemorative coin to mark the 175th birth anniversary of the pioneering industrialist. Modi paid tributes to the founder of the Tata Group saying those who create history, without seeking or holding power, are truly great, an official release said. He praised Tata for his vision of environment-friendly energy and for his initiatives for welfare of the people associated with the group.

3) Keshari Nath Tripathi sworn in as Meghalaya Governor: West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was sworn in as Meghalaya Governor at the Raj Bhavan in Shillong on 6 January 2015. Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Tripathi at the century-old Raj Bhavan which was attended by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, his Cabinet colleagues and senior civil and police officials. Mr. Tripathi became the 19th Governor of this hill State, succeeding Krishan Kant Paul, who has been made Uttarakhand Governor. Mr. Tripathi would continue to hold the office of Governor of West Bengal until further orders, Raj Bhavan sources said.

4) Sensex crashed 900 points, its biggest fall in over 5 years: The BSE Sensex crashed 905 points in intraday trade on 6 January 2015, tracking a sharp selloff across global makets. The Sensex ended 855 points lower at 26,987, its biggest one-day point fall since July 6, 2009. The major news which led to sell-off in global markets was the announcement of crude oil prices, which slipped below $50/barrel, to hit their fresh 5-1/2-year lows.

5) Brahma likely to be appointed as CEC: Senior-most Election Commissioner Hari Shankar Brahma is likely to be appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing VS Sampath, who demits office on January 15. Brahma, a 1975 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, took charge as Election Commissioner on August 25, 2010. A native of Bodoland in Assam, he was born on April 19, 1950. He will carry out his term till April 18, 2015 — either for six years in the Commission or till the age of 65, whichever comes earlier.

6) Delhi Police filed a case of murder in Sunanda Pushkar's death: In a sensational twist to the mysterious death of Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, Delhi Police on 6 January 2015 registered a case of murder after a medical report said her death was unnatural and was caused due to poisoning but nobody has been named as a suspect as yet. Disclosing this, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi did not rule out questioning Tharoor, now a Congress MP and a former Union Minister.

7) Ordinance to amend Citizenship Act promulgated: Government on 6 January 2015 promulgated an ordinance that seeks to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes, by which PIOs will also get life-long Indian visa. The President has signed the Citizenship Ordinance. The amendments through the ordinance to the Citizenship Act will benefit PIOs and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit. The decision came in the backdrop of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas which is set to begin of Jan 07.

8) Coal workers begin five-day strike: Trade unions on 6 January 2015 began a five-day coal industry strike, terming it as the biggest industrial action for any sector since 1977. The unions have gone on strike to protest against 'disinvestment and restructuring of state-run Coal India' and to press for their other demands including the roll-back of what they call as "process of denationalising of coal sector".

9) Sutirtha Bhattacharya is the new Coal India CMD: Sutirtha Bhattacharya on 5 January 2015 took charge as Coal India Limited’s full-time Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). The post was vacant for over six month. Prior to taking the charge of Coal India, Bhattacharya, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre was the CMD of the state-owned Singareni Collieries Company.

10) Amitabh Bachchan to be brand ambassador of Andhra Pradesh health department: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan will be the brand ambassador for the medical and health department of Andhra Pradesh, health minister Kamineni Srinivas said in Hyderabad on 6 January 2015.

11) BCCI announced 15-man World Cup squad:  Indian national selectors announced the much-awaited 15-member squad for the ICC World Cup 2015, scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from February 14. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will once again lead India in the quadrennial event, who will be the defending champions this time around. The batting mainstay in the Indian batting line up Virat Kohli will be Dhoni's deputy.

Read More

Andhra Pradesh Postal/Sorting Assistant Exam 2014 Results Out

Friends..Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle has today published the final result of PA/SA Exam 2014 vide letter No. RE/PADR/Result/2013 & 14 dated at Hyd-1 the 07.01.2015. The category wise list of Provisionally Selected Candidates in respect of Examination held on 25.05.2014 & Computer Typing Test held from 30.10.2014 to 02.11.2014 in respect of Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle (Both AP & Telangana States) were published. You can check the result from the following link. Congratulations to all selected candidates!

Check result from official site: Click Here

Read More

Call letter of SBI Associate Clerk 2015

Friends.. State Bank of India has activated the link to download the call letter of its Associate Clerk Exam 2015. SBI is scheduled to start the Associate Clerk exam in the third week of January. You can download the admit card from the below link. All the best.

Download Admit Card: Click Here or SBI Website

Acquaint Yourself Booklet (Hindi / English)

Read More

Current Affairs Quiz: 6 January 2015

1) Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara scored his 11th Test double century recently. Who is the only player above him holding the record of 12 double centuries in Test match cricket history?

(A) Sachin Tendulkar

(B) Mahela Jayawardene

(C) Don Bradman

(D) Brian Lara

2) Which Asian country celebrated its 67th Independence Day on 4 January 2015?

(A) Japan

(B) Myanmar

(C) Bhutan

(D) Nepal

3) Who among the following was on 5 January 2015 named vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, an institution that came into being on January 1 and replaced the 65-year old Planning Commission?

(A) Arvind Panagariya

(B) Bibek Debroy

(C) VK Saraswat

(D) Radha Mohan Singh

4) Upendra Trivedi who passed away on 4 January 2015 was a renowned actor of stage and cinema in?

(A) Malayalam

(B) Gujarati

(C) Kannada

(D) Marathi 

5) Sports Ministry has recommended whose name for Padma Bhushan on 05 January 2015?

(A) Sushil Kumar

(B) Vijendar Singh

(C) PV Sindhu

(D) Saina Nehwal

6) Which city will host the International Hindi Conference in April 2015 with the theme of "Expanding World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges"?

(A) Tel Aviv

(B) Brisbane

(C) New Jersey

(D) Brussels

7)  Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir was on 5 January 2015 appointed as the Chief Justice of which high court?

(A) Jammu & Kashmir

(B) Kerala

(C) Karnataka

(D) Himachal Pradesh

8) New age e-passports are expected to be rolled out in the country by which year as announced recently?

(A) 2019

(B) 2022

(C) 2018

(D) 2016

9) Union Cabinet on 5 January 2015 approved the largest ever telecom spectrum auction which will cover?

(A) 4G

(B) 2G

(C) 3G

(D) All of these

10) Habib Essid was nominated as the new Prime Minister of which country recently?

(A) Tunisia

(B) Sudan

(C) Kenya

(D) Vietnam

Answer

1) Ans. (C) Don Bradman

2) Ans. (B) Myanmar

3) Ans. (A) Arvind Panagariya

4) Ans. (B) Gujarati

5) Ans. (D) Saina Nehwal

6) Ans. (C) New Jersey

7) Ans. (A) Jammu & Kashmir

8) Ans. (D) 2016

9) Ans. (B) 2G

10) Ans. (A) Tunisia

Read More

Call Letter of New India Assurance Assistant Exam 2015

Friends.. the call letter of New India Assurance Company Ltd Assistant Exam can be downloaded from the below link from 8 January 2015 onwards. The online exam for NIACL Assistant 2015 is scheduled to be held on 17th,18th and 24th January 2015. The information handouts for the exam can also be downloaded now from the following links to get an idea about the exam. All the best.

Download Admit Card: Click Here

Information Handout in English: Click Here

Information Handout in Hindi: Click Here

Read More

Daily GK Quiz Questions: 6 January 2015

1) Which city hosted the first Asian Games in 1951?

(A) Jakarta (Indonesia)

(B) Manila (Philippines)

(C) New Delhi (India)

(D) Tokyo (Japan)

2) Which was the first element to be artifically produced?

(A) Technetium

(B) Einsteinium

(C) Francium

(D) Promethium

3) In 1991, who became the first woman Chief Justice of a High Court in India?

(A) Kiran Bedi

(B) M. Fateema Bivi

(C) Anna Chandy

(D) Leila Seth

4) Which article of Constitution of India speaks about impeachment of the President of India?

(A) Article 58

(B) Article 61

(C) Article 62

(D) Article 63

5) Who is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Games?

(A) Kunjarani Devi

(B) Kamaljeet Sandhu

(C) Geeta Zutshi

(D) P T Usha 

6) Which planet in the Solar System is named after the Roman god of agriculture and harvest?

(A) Mars

(B) Jupiter

(C) Saturn

(D) Venus

7) Whose autobiography is titled ‘Man of Everest’ also published as ‘Tiger of the snows’?

(A) Tenzing Norgay

(B) George Mallory

(C) Major H P S Aluhwalia

(D) Sir Edmund Hillary

8) Where is the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) located?

(A) Hisar (Haryana)

(B) Bikaner (Rajasthan)

(C) Dirang (Arunachal Pradesh)

(D) Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh)

9) Minimum age criteria of a Lok Sobha Member?

(A) 25 years

(B) 21 years

(C) 27 years

(D) 30 years

10) Which gas is the main constituent of 'Gobar Gas', the biogas generated by de-composition of cow dung?

(A) Butane

(B) Propane

(C) Methane

(D) Hydrogen

Answers

1) Ans. (C) New Delhi (India)

2) Ans. (A) Technetium

3) Ans. (D) Leila Seth

4) Ans. (B) Article 61

5) Ans. (B) Kamaljeet Sandhu

6) Ans. (C) Saturn

7) Ans. (A) Tenzing Norgay

8) Ans. (D) Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh)

9) Ans. (A) 25 years

10) Ans. (C) Methane

Read More

Result of IBPS Clerk 2014 Published

Friends.. IBPS has today (6 January 2015) published the result of the IBPS Clerk IV online exam held during December 2014 in various shifts. You can check the result from the below link by entering Registration No OR Roll No AND Password OR Date Of Birth. The details regarding the Marks and cut off details will be available soon. Congratulations to all selected candidates!

Check IBPS Clerk IV result: Click Here

Read More

5th January 2015 Current Affairs Updates

1) Arvind Panagariya named vice-chairman of Niti Aayog: Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Indian-American economist Arvind Panagariya as the first vice chairman of the Niti Aayog--an institution that came into being on January 1 and replaced the 65-year old Planning Commission--along with six members and three special invitees. Economist Bibek Debroy and former Defence Research and Development Organisation chief VK Saraswat were appointed as full-time members by the Prime Minister, who will be the chairman of the body, according to a release issued on 5 January 2015. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu and Radha Mohan Singh will be ex-officio members while Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani and Thawar Chand Gehlot will be special invitees to the institution.

2) Sports Ministry recommends Saina's name for Padma Bhushan: Sports Ministry has recommended ace badminton player Saina Nehwal's name for Padma Bhushan. Secretary of Sports in the Ministry of youth affairs Ajit Mohan Sharan confirmed the decision to DD News. Saina was awarded Padma Shri in 2010. A sports ministry statement said Nehwal's name is being recommended as a special case in wake of her achievements although the last date for making the recommendation is long over.

3)  PM launched scheme for LED bulb distribution: Moving towards his government's aim to conserve energy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scheme for LED bulb distribution under the domestic efficient lighting programme in Delhi; and a National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting. The initiative is part of the government's efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country. LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times that of CFLs, and therefore provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term.

4) Union Cabinet approved 2G telecom spectrum auction: Union Cabinet on 5 January 2015 approved the largest ever telecom spectrum auction that is targeted to fetch at least Rs 64,840 crore from its sale next month. The government will sell 380.75 megahertz of second generation (2G) spectrum in three bands - the premium 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 800 MHz. Spectrum in 2100 MHz may also be put on auction simultaneously after Defence Ministry vacates it.

5) Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir appointed Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir high court: President Pranab Mukherjee on 5 January 2015 appointed Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. According to a statement by the Department of Justice, the Ministry of Law and Justice, the appointment is effective as of January 5. "In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 100 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, the senior most Judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to perform the duties of the Office of the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court," the statement read.

6) New Jersey to host international conference on Hindi in April: The International Hindi Conference with the theme of "Expanding World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges," would be held in New Jersey in April. To be attended by Hindi scholars from various parts of the world, in particular from the US and India between April 3-5, participants of the International Hindi Conference would discuss the current status of the teaching and learning of Hindi among other things.

7) E-passports to be rolled by 2016: The new age e-passports are expected to be rolled out in the country by 2016, a top official said in Kochi. “We are going ahead and are in the process of tendering. By 2015-16 we should be able to achieve e-passport,” Muktesh K Pardeshi, joint secretary (PSP) and chief passport officer, ministry of external affairs, told reporters.

8) Habib Essid nominated as the new Prime Minister of Tunisia: A former Tunisian interior minister Habib Essid has been nominated as prime minister to form a new government after an agreement among political parties in the newly elected parliament. He will now have to form his government and then get it approved by parliamentary vote.

9) New LPG schemes launched for BPL families: Union Minister of State for petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan on 5 January 2015 launched a scheme to provide new LPG connections to BPL (below poverty line) families at a concessional rate for three months. In addition, the Union minister also launched the sale of Rs 5kg cylinder for the benefit of BPL families and sale of 5 kg cylinders under free trade LPG (FTL).

10) Planning Commission website archived: After replacing it with NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), the government has archived the website of the erstwhile Planning Commission while the new body will launch its own website in a few days. "The Planning Commission website has been archived and all related material can be accessed on the following url: "http://planningcommissionarchive.nic.in/" tweeted NITI Aayog.

Read More

Employment News: 3 to 9 January 2015

1. National Insurance Company Limited

Name of Post – Assistants

No. of Vacancies -  1000

Last Date     -   31 Jan 2015

2. National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.,  (Chhattisgarh)

Name of Post – Junior Officer (electrical, mechanical) Diploma holder (Mech).

No. of Vacancies – 54

Last Date     -    24 Jan 2015

3. Ministry of Home Affairs

Name of Post – Asstt. Commandant, Aircraft, Constable.

No. of Vacancies -  51

Last Date     - 30 days from the date of publication

4. Survey of India,   Delhi

Name of Post – Topo Trainees Types ‘A’ (T.T.T.’A’).

No. of Vacancies - 118

Last Date     - 21 Feb 2015

5. NABARD.  Mumbai

Name of Post – Various Post

No. of Vacancies – 128

Last Date     - 12 Jan 2015

Source: http://www.employmentnews.gov.in/

Read More

Current Affairs Updates: 4 January 2015

1) Myanmar celebrated its 67th Independence Day: President Pranab Mukherjee has extended India's good wishes to Myanmar on its Independence Day, as he called relations between the two neighbours as enduring in various fields. Myanmar celebrated its Independence Day on 4 January 2015.  

2) Mashrafe Mortaza to lead Bangladesh in World Cup: Veteran speedster Mahsrafe Mortaza will lead a 15-member Bangladesh squad in the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand. The team’s No 1 ranked cricketer Shakib al Hasan will be Mortaza’s deputy while the squad has rookie batsman Soumya Sarkar and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed. Mortaza was made the captain of the limited overs side, after the selectors removed Mushfiqur Rahim, before the series against Zimbabwe. Although it was a one-off assignment, Bangladesh thrashed Zimbabwe 5—0 and hence the selectors have decided to persist with the 31-year-old veteran of 36 Tests and 144 ODIs.

3) Kumar Sangakkara near Don Bradman's double ton record: Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara scored his 11th Test double century to move one behind Australia legend Don Bradman's all-time record. He made 203 on day two of the second Test against New Zealand to help his side to 356 all out, a lead of 135. Sangakkara will quit one-day international cricket after the World Cup, which starts in February. Don Bradman leads double centurions in Test cricket with 12 double centuries. 

4) Make in India initiative touched 2.1 billion impressions on social media: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) led Make in India (MII) initiative, has become the largest and fastest growing government initiative ever, on digital leaving behind every other government department like MEA (Ministry of External Affairs), Home Ministry or the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Make in India, has seen an overwhelming response on its digital platforms since its launch, just 3 months ago. According to the numbers, the Make in India Facebook page adds a new member every 3 seconds a feat that has not been achieved by any other department of the government and a very few in the private sector.

5) Gujarati actor Upendra Trivedi passed away: One of the most renowned Gujarati actors of stage and cinema, Upendra Trivedi, also known as `Abhinay Samrat', passed away in Mumbai after a brief illness at the age of 79. Upendra who is known for his brilliant performance in the Gujarati play `Abhinay Samrat` is the brother of Arvind Trivedi who essayed the role of Ravana in the TV series `Mahabharata`.

6) Centre announced Rs 1,900-cr for e-gov project Panch Deep: Project “Panch Deep” is an e-governance project which will deploy a massive ERP (Enterprise wide Resource Planning) across the country connecting all the ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) and other organisations in the ecosystem. For this the employees will get unique biometric cards. The project will also take care of payments of third party bills. The IT backbone under this project will also develop a huge repository of medical records, making it easier for doctors and patients.

7) Government sets up Task Force to revive domestic mobile manufacturing: Aiming to take the Make in India programme a step further, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has formed a Fast Track Task Force to re-establish growth in the country's mobile handset and component manufacturing eco-system. "The task force will be meeting the Department of Electronics and Information Technology secretary (R.S.Sharma) in the first week of January," Pankaj Mohindroo, national president, Indian Cellular Association said. Sharma is also the chairman of the task force.

Read More