General Tests: Mock Test - 9 - Class 12 MCQ

Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development, launched the Rural Connectivity GIS (Geographic Information System) Data in Public Domain in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Delhi.

• As a part of the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), GIS data for more than 8 lakh rural facilities as points, 10 lakh habitations and 25 lakh Km of rural roads have been collected and digitized using the GIS platform developed for the PMGSY.
• The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), the nodal implementing agency of PMGSY has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with 3 GIS Firms.
• NRIDA is also collaborating with Gati Shakti for releasing Rural Connectivity GIS Data in Public Domain.

The Central Government approved the continuation of the Central Sector Umbrella Scheme of ‘Border
Infrastructure and Management (BIM)’ over the 15th Finance Commission Cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 13,020 crore.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is responsible for the improvement of BIM.
• This continuation will strengthen the border infrastructure for improving border management, policing and guarding the borders.

Indian Grandmaster (GM) R Praggnanandhaa defeated World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway) in the 8th round of the Airthings Masters, an online rapid chess tournament.

• With this victory, R Praggnanandhaa became the third Indian, after Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna, to accomplish the rare feat of defeating Magnus Carlsen.
• He became India’s youngest and world’s second youngest Grandmaster in 2018.

Priyam Gandhi-Mody authored “A Nation To Protect”, a book about the leadership of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi tackling the Covid-19 crisis. The book was launched by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in presence of health ministry officials on 18 February, 2022.
About ‘A Nation To Protect’:

• The book speaks about Mansukh Mandaviya’s role of Fertilizers Minister during the second wave of Covid-19 by ensuring proper supplies of essential medicines and Remedisvir.
• It also speaks about Modi’s view of India to follow ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or self-reliance without depending on foreign vaccine manufacturers.

The indigenously developed manned underwater submersible vehicle, Matsya 6000 that is capable of taking 3 humans to a depth of 6,000 metres (m), will be ready for its launch in 2024 for the Samudrayaan Mission.

• MATSYA 6000 is an undersea submersible vehicle designed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) under the aegis of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). The navigation and electronics aspects of the vehicle were designed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), MoES.
• Matsya 6000 is 2.1 m in diameter with a Titanium Alloy Personnel Sphere of 80 mm thickness that uses battery-powered propulsion that can reach a maximum depth of 6,000 metres.
• It has an operational capacity of 12 hours and during emergencies, it can operate up to 96 hours for deep ocean exploration of non-living resources
• It will study cobalt crust, hydrothermal sulphides, hydrates and polymetallic manganese nodules in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The Ministry of Education (MoE) launched a campaign named ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie’ to promote multilingualism and the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. It is launched to commemorate International Mother Language Day i.e Feb 21, 2022.

• This campaign is to promote the Bhasha Sangam mobile app which was developed by MoE and MyGov India.

Bhasha Sangam Initiative:

• It was launched to commemorate Rashtriya Ekta Diwas which is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel i.e 31st October.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MoE) under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. iii. It is developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). iv. Objective- To ensure that people acquire basic conversational skills in Indian languages other than their mother tongue.

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MoNRE), Tamil Nadu (TN) has achieved the first position in overall installed renewable energy capacity in India surpassing Karnataka.

• As of 31st January 2022, TN’s total installed renewable capacity stood at 15,914 MegaWatt (MW) as compared to Karnataka’s total clean energy capacity of 15,795 MW.
• Rajasthan’s overall renewable energy capacity was 14,983 MW and also the 1st state in India to cross 10,000 MW of total solar capacity and stood at 10,507 MW, followed by Karnataka (7,535 MW) and Gujarat (6,310 MW) and Tamil Nadu (4,894 MW).
• Rajasthan and Gujarat added the highest renewable capacity (4.8 GW and 2.4 GW respectively) in the current fiscal year till 31st January 2022.

Former Odisha Chief Minister (CM) Hemananda Biswal passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha at the age of 83 years.

• He was appointed as the CM of Odisha twice (1989-1990, 1999- 2000) and also was the first tribal CM of Odisha.

Sakibul Gani, an Indian cricketer hailing from Motihari in Bihar, created a world record by becoming the first cricketer to score a triple century on his debut in a first-class match, 2021–22 Ranji Trophy.

• He scored 341 runs with 405 balls, (56 fours& 2 sixes) representing Bihar in the plate group 2021–22 Ranji Trophy fixture against Mizoram at the Jadavpur University Campus Ground, Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Previously, the record of highest score on first-class debut was held by Ajay Rothera of Madhya Pradesh (267 runs in December 2018) and Amol Muzumdar of Mumbai (260 runs in 1993-1994).

International Chess Player woman FIDE (International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation) Masters, Tanishka Kotia and her sister Riddhika Kotia are appointed as Brand Ambassadors for the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme for the Gurugram District of Haryana State.
About Tanishka Kotia & Riddhika Kotia:

• Tanishka Kotia won the Limca Book of Records for being the youngest chess player in 2008. They belong to the Haryana state.
• Tanishka Kotia ranks 2nd in the country in the under-16 category, World Chess Federation rankings released in 2019.
• She won a Gold medal at the ASEAN Chess Championship in 2013 and silver at the Commonwealth Chess Championship In 2014 in Scotland.
• Riddhika Kotia represented India at several prestigious international events, including the World Junior Chess Championship 2020.

The 6^th edition of the 5-day bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) namely ‘Eastern Bridge-VI’ commenced at Jodhpur Air Force Station in Rajasthan.
Objective: This exercise is an opportunity to enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two Air Forces.
Participants:

• The Indian Air Force(IAF) has deployed a fleet of Sukhoi-30MKIs, Jaguar and Mirage-2000 fighter jets for the sixth edition of the exercise ‘Eastern Bridge’.
• The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) has deployed its F-16 jets.

Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) awarded ‘Most Dependable Public Sector in India award 2022’ to Coal India Limited (CIL), an organization under Ministry of Coal during Energy Meet & Excellence Awards 2022 ceremony in Kolkata, West Bengal.
About The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM): Establishment – 1920
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
President – Vineet Agarwal

Madhya Pradesh (MP) Governor Mangubhai Patel Inaugurated the Week long 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival in Khajuraho, located in Chhatarpur district, MP. The 48th edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival will be held from 20th to 26th February, 2022.

The Khajuraho Dance Festival is organised annually by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, Culture’ Department through Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy, Madhya Pradesh Sanskriti Parishad, Bhopal
The festival will be presenting artists with the ‘National Kalidas Award’ for dance for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 and the ‘MP State Rupankar Kala Award’ at this ceremony.
On the first day, disciples of the late ‘Pandit Birju Maharaj’ will perform which will be the centre of attraction.

CM of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma launched India’s first Night Navigation mobile application (app) for ferry services on the Brahmaputra river in Guwahati, Assam.

• It was developed by the State Transport Department in association with K Raju, the principal scientist of IIT Madras.
• The first night journey of the IWT (Inland Water Transport) ferry between Guwahati and North Guwahati was started on 19 February 2022.
• An MoU was also signed between the Common Service Centres (CSCs) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and State Transport Department to provide online services at the panchayat level.

ICICI Bank signed an agreement with Verve Financial Services (VFSPL). The bank has acquired a 9.49% stake for a cash investment of INR 19.99 crore in the equity shares of VFSPL.

• The investment agreement is expected to be completed by the end of March 2022. Later, ICICI Bank will hold a 9.49% stake (on a fully diluted basis) in VFSPL through the acquisition of 2,29,600 equity shares.

About ICICI Bank:
CEO & MD– Sandeep Bakhshi
Headquarters- Vadodara, Gujarat
Founded-1994

JPMorgan Chase & co, the largest financial institution in the United States (US) has become the 1st bank to arrive in the metaverse, a virtual world based on blockchain technology with the opening of a lounge named ‘Onyx’ in blockchain technology-based virtual world Decentraland.
Onyx refers to JPMorgan’s suite of Ethereum-based services and released a report exploring how businesses can find opportunities in the metaverse.
About Metaverse:

• Metaverse is a virtual reality world where users can do multiple activities like games, shopping, and interaction with others just like they do in the real world.
• The metaverse uses Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for interaction and has become an efficiently used technology to enhance user experience.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has acquired 0.085% additional stakes of Capri Global Capital Ltd (CGCL) through market purchase and increased its stake in CGCL from 4.959% to 5.044%.

• CGCL is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE).
• LIC has acquired 150000 shares (0.085%) carrying voting rights.

The first batch of three MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters is expected to arrive in India in July 2022 in Kochi, Kerala. These three helicopters were already handed over by the United States (US) in 2021 but Indian pilots were using these helicopters for training purposes in Pensacola, San Diego and Florida of US.

• The MH-60R Multi-Role helicopters will replace Sea King 42/42A helicopters, which were decommissioned in the 1990s.
• These helicopters are expected to be deployed on indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
• In 2020, India signed a USD 2.2 billion deal for MH-60R helicopters built by Lockheed Martin during the visit of former U.S. President Donald Trump. All deliveries will be completed by 2025.

The government of Assam is set to launch a 4-year mentorship programme – “Project Arohan” – to mentor the students of Assam and to hone their skills.

• Himanta Biswa Sarma, CM of Assam, met with Anita Rajan, Chief Executive officer CEO) of Tata STRIVE, the skill development initiative of Tata Trusts, to seek cooperation for Project Arohan.

New Development Bank (NBD) will become the 1st multilateral agency to open an office in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), Gujarat which will start its operation by the mid of May 2022.

• NDB also expects to partner with the newly launched National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) to support crucial infrastructure projects in India.

Nepal and India have agreed to form a Joint Hydro Development Committee during the 9th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG, Joint Secretary level) and the Joint Steering Committee (JSC, Secretary level) on bilateral power sector cooperation in Kathmandu, Nepal on 23rd and 24th February 2022.

• The JSC meeting was co-chaired by Alok Kumar, Power Secretary, Government of India and Devendra Karki, Energy Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Nepal.
• The Committee will explore the development of viable hydropower projects in Nepal with a focus on storage. The task force will have a maximum of three members from both countries.

Bharti Airtel Limited, also known as Airtel, has signed an agreement with Vodafone to purchase 4.7% equity interest in Indus Towers. The agreement has been signed on the condition that the amount paid shall be inducted by Vodafone as fresh equity in Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) and simultaneously remitted to Indus Towers to clear VIL’s outstanding dues.

• The deal is expected to be in the range of Rs 3,000 crore.

About Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel):
MD & CEO (India & South Asia)– Gopal Vittal
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi.

Israel successfully test-fired its “C-Dome or Protective Dome” naval defence system based on Iron Dome which was tested against rockets, cruise missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The C-Dome was successfully tested for the first time from Saar-6 Corvette INS Magen, Israel’s Naval Warship.
About The “C-Dome or Protective Dome” Missiles:

• The C-Dome is a multilayer missile defence system, alongside the Arrow and David’s Sling systems which is capable of intercepting everything from long-range missiles to short-range rockets.
• Rafael developed the Iron Dome, a mobile all-weather air defence system.
• The C-Dome has a speed of Mach 2.2 (2716.56 kmph).

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Government has recently approved the PLI Scheme for Textiles for man-made fibre (MMF) Apparel, MMF Fabrics and Technical Textiles

Statement 2
Correct
Only manufacturing company registered in India will be eligible to participate under the scheme.

Statement 3
Incorrect
The scheme has a budgetary outlay of 10,683 crores with a duration of 5 years i.e. during FY 2025- 26 to FY 2029-30.

Context – Government has approved the PLI Scheme for Textiles

Over ground workers (OGWs) are people who help militants, or terrorists, with logistical support, cash, shelter, and other infrastructure with which armed groups and insurgency movements such as Hizbul Mujaheddin and Jaish-e-Muhammad in Jammu and Kashmir can operate.
Context – Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police recently arrested three overground workers (OGWs) for a grenade attack on a Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) camp.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
The Pusa decomposer, is a bio-enzyme developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) to decompose crop residue.

Statement 2
Incorrect
It can turn crop residue into organic manure in just 15-20 days.

Context- Delhi Government employed this bio decomposer to discourage stubble burning.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
According to the Reserve Bank of India, an Account Aggregator is a non-banking financial company engaged in the business of providing, under a contract, the service of retrieving or collecting financial information pertaining to its customer. It is also engaged in consolidating, organising and presenting such information to the customer or any other financial information user as may be specified by the bank

Statement 2
Correct
The AA framework was created through an inter-regulatory decision by RBI and other regulators including Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) through and initiative of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

Context – A new framework was launched for Account Aggregators

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The Nipah virus (NiV) is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus. The virus normally circulates among some fruit bats. It can both spread between people and from other animals to people.

Statement 2
Correct
There are currently no drugs or vaccines that specifically target Nipah virus infection. WHO has identified Nipah as a priority disease for the WHO Research and Development Blueprint. Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.

Statement 3
Correct
Fruit bats are the main reservoir for Nipah and they can transmit the virus to humans through direct and indirect contact with their urine, feces, or saliva. Contact with fruit bats or their urine, feces or saliva should thus be strictly avoided in Nipah-affected areas.

Context – There was an outbreak of Nipah Virus in Kerala.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
Thungon Committee is related to Panchayat Raj Institutions. The Anti-Defection law was enacted by Rajiv Gandhi Government in the absence of recommendations by any committee regarding Anti-Defection Law.

Statement 2
Incorrect
The Anti-Defection Law does not specify a timeframe within which the presiding officer has to decide on a disqualification plea.

Statement 3
Correct
The decision of the presiding officer of the house is subject to Judicial Review. The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in Kihoto holohan Case, 1992, thereby allowing appeal against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court

Context – The Calcutta High Court gave West Bengal Assembly Speaker a deadline to pass an order in the defection case

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
While parole is granted to the prisoner to meet a specific exigency, furlough may be granted (after a stipulated number of years have been served) without any reason.

Statement 2
Correct
Period of furlough granted to a prisoner is treated as remission of his sentence. Whereas parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with suspension of the sentence

Statement 3
Incorrect
Supreme Court stated that although furlough can be claimed without a reason, prisoner does not have an absolute legal right to claim furlough

Context – Supreme Court discussed differences between ‘furlough’ and ‘parole’ and the principles relating to grant of them.