Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 January 2020

1. JP Nadda elected as the new president of BJP

• JP Nadda, the working president of the Bhartiya Janta Party, has been elected as the national president of BJP.
• He has been elected unopposed.

2. 1^st squadron of Sukhoi-30 MkI aircraft inducted in the Indian Airforce

• The 1^st squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI equipped with Brahmos missiles has been inducted by the IAF.
• The 222 -squadron is also known as Tigersharks.

3. Prime minister Narendra Modi and Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli to inaugurate Integrated Check post in Biratnagar

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart inaugurated the Integrated Checkpost of Biratnagar in Nepal.
• The ICP will facilitate immigration clearance of foreign passengers, export and import cargo handling.
• India and Nepal share a border of 1850 Km characterized by the free movement of people.
• Jogbani- Biratnagar is one of the international trade points between the two nations.
• Biratnagar is the 3^rd largest revenue collecting custom office of Nepal.
• Nepal:
  • It is a landlocked nation bordering India.
  • Its capital is Kathmandu and the currency is Nepalese Rupees.

4. Land acquisition from Ludhiana to Dankuni to resume for the eastern freight corridor of Railways

• West Bengal to resume the land acquisition for Ludhiana to Dankuni Eastern freight corridor of the railways.
• Eastern Freight Corridor:
  • It aims to make a dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal.
  • The project is carried out by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India.

5. The proposal to take over the management control of Unitech Limited accepted by the Supreme Court

• SC has accepted the proposal of the center to take over the management of the realty estate firm Unitech Limited.
• SC bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud has given two months to the new board of Unitech to prepare a resolution framework and to seek out any legal proceeding against the company.

6. 2^nd edition of NIC tech Conclave-2020 inaugurated by Union Minister of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

• Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the 2^nd edition of NIC Tech Conclave in New Delhi.
• National Informatics Centre is conducting the two-day event which will help in the capacity building of the government officers and ensure delivery of quality citizen-centric services.
• The theme of the conclave is “Technologies for Next-Gen Governance”.

7. Senior bureaucrats Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu appointed as the Joint Secretaries in Department of Military Affairs

• Centre has appointed senior bureaucrats Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu as the joint secretaries in the Department of Military Affairs.
• Other recruitments made by the center of various joint secretaries and advisor are:
  • Vishal Gagan: Department of Defence
  • Ashutosh Agnihotri: Home Ministry
  • Bharat Khera: Cabinet Secretariat
  • Ashoka Kumar Parmar: Advisor in Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Department of Military Affairs
• It is the newly created department under the Ministry of Defense.
• It is headed by Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat.

8. China confirms 139 new cases of coronavirus

• 139 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in China taking the total number of confirmed cases to 198.
• Coronaviruses: These are a set of viruses that can cause various diseases like common cold, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome- related coronavirus, Severe Acute respiratory syndrome, etc.
• Human coronavirus spreads from infected people to others via personal contact, coughing and sneezing, etc. 
• Currently, there are no vaccines available against the infection caused due to human coronavirus.

9. Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020 title won by Ratchanok Intanon

• Thailand player Ratchanok Intanon has won women singles title in Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020.
• She defeated Spanish Carolina Marine.

10. ISRO completed 3 orbit raising maneuvers of GSAT-30

• 3 orbit raising maneuvers by GSAT-30 communication satellite has been completed by ISRO.
• The satellite aims to provide DTH, television uplink and VSAT services.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. JP Nadda has been elected as the national president of which party?

A. Bhartiya Janta Party

B. Congress Party

C. Bahujan Samaj Party

D. Samajwadi Party

2. What is the name of the squadron recently inducted in the Indian Air Force?

A. Tigersharks

B. Sharkland

C. Flyshark

D. Whaleshark

3. Railway’s Eastern Freight Corridor establish end-end connectivity between-

A. Delhi- Mumbai

B. Ludhiana-Dankuni

C. Meerut- Delhi

D. Delhi- Chennai

4. In which of the following places, the 2^nd edition of NIC Tech Conclave 2020 is being organised?

A. Gujarat

B. New Delhi

C. Uttarakhand

D. Uttar Pradesh

5. Who among the following heads the Department of Military Affairs?

A. Defence Secretary

B. Defence Minister

C. Chief of Defence Staff

D. National Security Advisor

6. Which of the following diseases is caused by coronaviruses?

A. MERS

B. SARS

C. Common Cold

D. All of the above

7. K.P Sharma Oli is the Prime Minister of which of the following countries?

A. Nepal

B. China

C. Ukraine

D. Georgia

8. Ratchanok Intanon who won the women’s singles title of Indonesia’s Badminton masters 2020 belongs to which country?

A. India

B. Brazil

C. Thailand

D. Russia

Solution:

1. A

2. A

3. B

4. B

5. C

6. D

7. A

8. C