CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQs

CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Battery maker Eveready Industries signed which Bollywood actor as its brand ambassador on 19 April 2011? 

a. Shah Rukh khan

b. Amir khan

c. Salman Khan
d. Akshay Kumar
Answer: (d)

2. Tata Steel signed a licensing agreement with British-Australian mining major Rio Tinto for development of direct iron smelting process. What is the direct iron smelting process called?
a.HIsarna
b. Cyclone pre-reduction technology (CCF)
c. Catoctin Furnace Smelting
d. Molten bath smelting
Answer: (a)

3. One of the largest gold importers and provider of bullion delivery for various spot and futures exchanges, has launched an investment product that promises dual income from the likely price appreciation and lending income. Identify the gold importer.
a. RiddiSiddhi Bullions
b. Heera Gold Exports and Imports
c. Goldsborough
d. Soz Traders
Answer: (a)

4. The Supreme Court on 19 April 2011 declared Khap panchayats illegal and termed them as kangaroo courts. Consider the following statements on Khap panchayats.
i) Khap is a term for a social - political grouping and used in a geographical sense.
ii) The word Khap means an area inhabited by a particular clan.
iii) Khap Panchayats are prevalent in Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Choose the right option:
a) All i, ii and iii are correct.
b) Only i and ii are correct.
c) Only i and iii are correct.
d) Only ii and iii are correct.
Answer: (a) All i, ii and iii are correct.

5. The Supreme Court quashed the acquisition of 205 hectares of agricultural land in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar by the state government. The court stated that the right to property is a constitutional right and the government can't take away anybody's land in an arbitrary way. Right to Property was removed from the list of the fundamental rights under__ amendment of the Constitution of India.
a) 44th
b) 42nd
c) 41st
d) 45th
Answer: (a) 44th

6. The Supreme Court on 18 April 2011 banned the employment of children in circuses and directed the government to rescue those employed in the sector. Consider the following statements on the judgement.
i) A Bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari gave the judgement.
ii) The Court passed the order on a petition filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Aandolan.
Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct
b) Only i is correct
c) Only ii is correct]
d) Neither i nor ii is correct.
Answer: (a) both i and ii is correct.

7. Supreme Court of India on 18 April 2011 stayed the order of the broadcast tribunal TDSAT and thus set aside TRAI's notification to fix 35 per cent of the rates paid by cable operators for TV channels. The apex court raised the rates paid by cable operators for TV channels to what percentage?
40%
b. 42%
c. 43.32%
d. 46%
Answer: (b)

8. Writer of nearly 1000 novels in Urdu Izhar Asar died at 82 on 15 April 2011. What is the name of the first science novel written by Izhar Asar?
a. Aadhi Zindagi
b. Do Aankhein
c. La-shareek
d. Meherbaan Kaise Kaise
Answer: (a)

9. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a not-for-profit company under the Ministry of Finance and Everonn Education Ltd (EEL) joined hands to launch which school to train 1.5 crore people across nine sectors?
a. International Skills School
b. School of International Skills Training
c. National Vocational Training School
d. International School for Vocational Training
Answer: (a)

10. To make Urdu a language of mass communication, the madarsa education board of which Indian state in April 2011 started Urdu journalism training for madarsa pass-outs?
a. Bihar
b.Uttar Pradesh
c. West Bengal
d. Gujarat
Answer: (b)

11. Study the following sentences:
1. The APMC bill was approved of by Uttarakhand Governor on 19 April 2011.
2. The APMC bill seeks to provide effective regulation in marketing of agricultural produces as well as establishment of proper marketing system in Uttarakhand.
3. The bill bars setting up private markets so as to enable farmers and regulatory authorities to ensure a level playing field.
4. The bill proposed to do away with the mandi system of the sale and purchase of agriculture produces.
Which of the statements related to the bill is not true?
a.Only 3
b.Only 4
c. 2 & 3
d. 3 & 4
Answer: (d)

12. Name the helicopter that caught fire and plunged into a gorge in Tawang city of Arunachal Pradesh on 19 April 2011 resulting in the death of 17 persons
a. Pawan Hans Mi-17
b. HAL HPT-32 Deepak
c. HAL HJT-16 Kiran
d. Lakshya PTA
Answer: (a)

13. Which one of the following Arab countries lifted emergency rule in the country?
a) Syria
b) Egypt
c) Tunisia
d) Yemen
Answer: (a) Syria

14. India and Kazakhstan, signed a total of___ agreements during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Kazakhstan.
a) Seven
b) Six
c) Five
d) Eight
Answer: (a) Seven

15. European Parliament passed resolutions condemning which one of the following countries for its support to Taliban?
a) Afghanistan
b) Pakistan
c) Kazakhstan
d) Russia
Answer: (b) Pakistan

16. Pakistan and Afghanistan on 16 April 2011 decided to set up a two-tier joint commission at Kabul regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan during Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani's visit to Afghanistan. Consider the following statements now.
i) Yousuf Raza Gilani is the President of Pakistan.
ii) Hamid Karzai is the Prime Minister of Afghanistan.
Which of the given statements is/are correct?
a) Both i and ii
b) Only ii
c) Only i
d) Neither i nor ii
Answer: (d) Neither i nor ii; Yousuf Raza Gilani is the Prime Minister of India and Hamid Karzai is the President of India.

17. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa called for a mass protest against the UN Report, which called for establishing an independent international probe into alleged war crimes committed during the war against the LTTE. What is the full form of LTTE?
a) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
b) Liberation Tigers Treaty Eelam
c) Tamil Tigers of Liberated Eelam
d) Tamil Tigers
Answer: (a) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

18.Consider the following clues:
1. The last Maharaja of Jaipur who also Jaipur's 40th Maharaja died on 16 April 2011.
2. He was the head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs was born to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first wife Marudhar Kanwar of Jodhpur on 22 October 1931.
3. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and received the Bharat Ratna in 1974.
4. Married to Sirmur princess Kumari Padmini Devi and the royal couple had daughter by the name of Diya Kumari.
With the help of the clues identify the person.
a. Sawai Bhawani Singh
b. Sawai Madho Singh II
c. Sawai Pratap Singh
d. Bishan Singh
Answer: (a)

19. World Heritage Day was observed on 18 April every year. The proposal to observe the day was taken by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in a symposium organised on 18 April 1982 in which of the following countries?
a. Egypt
b. Tunisia
c. Libya
d. Syria
Answer: (b)

20. Former West Indies cricket captain Franz 'Gerry' Alexander who made his debut against England in 1957 and went on to represented the team in 25 Test matches died at age 82 on 16 April 2011. Identify the cricketer who scored 961 runs at an average of 30.03 with the best being 108 against Australia.
a. Franz 'Gerry' Alexander
b. Karl Nunes
c. George Headley
d. Denis Atkinson
Answer: (a)

21. Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction on 18 April 2011. For which of her following novels did she win the prestigious literary award?
a. A Visit from the Goon Squad
b. The Invisible Circus
c. Look at Me
d. The Keep
Answer: (a)

22. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
List I List II
Pulitzer Award Winning Books Names of Writers
1. A Visit from the Goon Squad A. Ron Chernow
2. Clybourne Park B. Kay Ryan
3. The Best of It: New and Selected Poems C. Bruce Norris
4. Washington: A Life D. Jennifer Egan
Code:
A B C D

a. 4 3 2 1
b. 3 2 1 4
c. 2 1 3 4
d. 1 3 4 2
Answer: (a)

23. Pakistan test fired a newly developed short-range surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on 19 April 2011. Name the missile.
a. Hatf-9
b. Hatf-I/IA
c. Ghaznavi
d. Abdali-I
Answer: (a)

24. A well-known Kannada poet, playwright and translator was in April 2011 appointed Director of Tagore Centre in Berlin. He would be responsible for promoting Indo-German cultural exchanges and organising Indian cultural programmes in Germany. Identify the person.
a. Professor H. S. Shiva Prakash
b. T. N. Srikantaiah
c. K. S. Narasimhaswamy
d. Allama Prabhu
Answer: (a)

25.Indian Union Government on 9 April 2011 reconstituted the Central Supervisory Board set up under the Pre-conception & Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PC & PNDT Act). Read the following sentences with respect to the Act.
1. Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 was brought into operation from 1 January 1996.
2. The main objective of the PC & PNDT Act is ensure use of sex selection techniques before or after conception.
3. The Act aims at stopping misuse of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for sex-selective abortions.
4. The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 was brought into operation to check female feticide.
Which of the above mentioned statement/statements is/are false?
a. Only 1
b. Only 3
c. 2 & 3
d. None of the above
Answer: (b)

26. Read the following sentences with respect to Central Reserve Police Force.
1. CRPF celebrates its Valour Day every year on 9 April.
2. CRPF observes the Valour Day to commemorate the 1965 incident of Sardar Post when 2nd Battalion of CRPF had repulsed the attack of a full-fledged infantry brigade of Pakistani army.
3. 50 CRPF officers were given gallantry medals on the occasion of CRPF Valour Day on 9 April 2011.
4. CRPF is the third first force in the world to raise an all-women battalion.
Which of the following statements are true?
a. 1 & 2
b. 3 & 4
c. 2 & 4
d. 2 & 3
Answer: (a)

27. Read the following sentences with respect to the issue of biometric PAN cards to taxpayers.
1. Indian Finance Ministry on 11 April decided to issue biometric PAN cards to taxpayers across the country to erase the problem of duplicate and fake ones
2. proposed new biometric Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards would bear the I-T assessee's fingerprints
3. Finance ministry and the I-T department had put on hold the biometric PAN card project in 2010 to ensure that the biometric PAN cards for tax payers could be released along with UID numbers to be issued by Nandan Nilekani's Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI).
4. The biometric PAN card was proposed by the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the budget speech of 2009-10.
Which of the above mentioned statements are true?
a. 1,2 & 3
b. 1,3 & 4
c. 2,3 & 4
d. 1 & 2
Answer: (d)

28. According to data from an international organisation India's growth in 2010 was 10.4% higher than that of China which recorded a growth of 10.3%. Name the organisation.
a. International Monetary Fund
b. World Bank
c. Asian Development Bank
d. World Trade organisation
Answer: (a)

29. Creative Abby awards were given out during the Goafest 2011 which concluded on 9 April 2011 in the Varca village in Goa. The awards recognise and honour work in which of the following fields?
a. Journalism
b. Advertisement
c. Documentary Films
d. Art & Craft
Answer: (b)

30. India topped the list of 10 countries that have the highest number of stillbirths according to which of the following British medical journals?
a. The Lancet
b. British Journal of Medical Practitioners
c. British Columbia Medical Journal
d. British Journal of Sexual Medicine
Answer: (a)

31. The Annual plan for Jharkhand state was finalised at ____ for the year 2011-12.
a) 15300 crore rupees
b) 14300 crore rupees
c) 16600 crore rupees
d) 12450 crore rupees
Answer: (a) 15300 crore rupees

32. The Supreme Court of India, in the second week of April 2011, refused Odisha Government's plea to stay Polavaram Dam construction by which one of the following states?
a) Madhya Pradesh
b) Jharkhand
c) West Bengal
d) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (d) Andhra Pradesh

33. Two rare vulture species namely, the Long-billed and the White-rumped were sighted in large numbers in Rajsthan's Baran district. Baran is located in which one of the following states?
a) Bihar
b) Rajasthan
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) Gujarat
Answer: (b) Rajasthan

34. India is working on AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) programme to develop the stealth UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles) or drones capable of firing missiles and bombs at enemy targets with precision. What is the full form of AURA?
a) Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft
b) Autonomous Unmanned Research Airplane
c) Automatic Unmanned Research Aircraft
d) Automated Unmanned Research Anti-Missile
Answer: (a) Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft

35. Consider the following sentences regarding Andhra Lake Wind Power Project.
i) The project is promoted by Indo-German enterprise Enercon India
ii) It is located at a distance of 3.5 km from the Bhimshanker Wildlife Sanctuary.
iii) It is posing threat to the region of Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
Choose the right option:
a) All i, ii and iii are correct.
b) Only i and ii are correct.
c) Only i is correct.
d) Only ii is correct.
Answer: (a) All i, ii and iii are correct.

36. A team of Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the world's first practical artificial leaf. Consider the following statements regarding that:
i) It can turn sunlight and water into energy.
ii) The artificial leaf can use sunlight to break water into oxygen and hydrogen which can be used further to create electricity in a separate fuel cell.
Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Neither i nor ii are correct.
c) Only i is correct.
d) Only ii is correct.
Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct.

37. British Scientists at Edinburgh University, in the second week of April 2011, created human kidneys from stem cells in a break through which could lead to transplant patients growing their organs. Consider the following statements regarding Kidneys in human body.
i) A person's kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water.
ii)The word ''renal' refers to the Lungs in Human Body.
Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii statements are correct.
b) Only i is correct.
c) Only ii is correct.
d) Neither i nor ii is correct.
Answer: (b) Only i is correct. The word renal refers to the Lungs in Human body.

38. The largest waste to power plant in China, the Hangu waste-to-power plant, is located in which one of the following countries?
a) Shanghai
b) Beijing
c) Tianjin
d) Wuhan
Ans): c) Tianjin

39. Manuka honey could be used to combat some of the most hard-to-treat infections such as MRSA that are resistant to powerful antibiotics. Manuka honey is named so after a___
a) Tree
b) Bees
c) City
d) Anti-biotic
Answer: (a) Tree

40. Isle of Wight rock yielded three fossil footprints of Dinosaurs. In which one of the following countries Isle of Wight is located?
a) UK
b) USA
c) India
d) Germany
Answer: (a) UK

41. Read the sentences with respect to the Telecom Policy 2011.
1. Telecom Policy 2011 was unveiled by the Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal on 11 April 2011.
2. The decision to move to a uniform licence fee in the telecom sector was also pronounced in the policy.
3. The norms concerning merger and acquisition (M&A) mentioned that the minimum number of operators will not be allowed to fall below eight at any point in time in each circle.
4. The policy highlighted formation of a committee, under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Shivraj Patil to draft the Telecom Act.
Which of the above mentioned facts are not true about Telecom Policy 2011?
a. 1,2 & 3
b. 3 & 4
c. 1 & 2
d. 2 & 3
Answer: (b)

42. Indian Finance Ministry on 11 April decided to issue biometric PAN cards to taxpayers across the country to erase the problem of duplicate and fake ones. Which Indian Finance Minister has first proposed the biometric PAN card?
a. Pranab Mukherjee
b. P Chidambaram
c. Jaswant Singh
d. Yashwant Sinha
Answer: (b)

43. Which industry body representing GSM players announced in April 2011 its decision to combine forces with the government to ensure wide scale spread of mobile broadband?
a. Cellular Operators Association of India
b. Cellular Rights Association
c. TRAI's Cellular Arm
d. DIT
Answer: (a)

44. The 218-km Chainsa-Sultanpur-Neemrana pipeline was commissioned on 9 April 2011. Which of the following built the pipeline?
a. RIGZONE
b. GAIL (India)
c. High - Tech Group of Companies
d. Max Engineering
Answer: (b)

45. According to global research group Gartner, the Indian domestic BPO market is projected to grow by 23% and reach which of the following figures in the current financial year 2011?
a. $1.69 billion
b. $1.4 billion
c. $2.47 billion
d. $1.1 billion
Answer: (b)

46. Which are the two Gujarat-based cooperative sector lenders on which Reserve bank of India imposed a financial penalty of Rs 1 lakh each for violation of various rules, including anti-money laundering guidelines?
1. Shree MahalaxmiMercantile Co-operative Bank
2. Rander People's Co-operative Bank
3. Abad District Co Op Bank
4. Ahd Mercantile Co-Op Bank Ltd
a. 1 & 2
b. 2 & 3
c. 1 & 4
d. 3 & 4
Answer: (a)

47. In view of the Intelligence Bureau's report, Department of Telecommunications in April 2011requested to advice the Telecom Service Providers not to launch proposed pushmail/powermail service of which of the following?
a. HTC
b. Blackberry
c. Nokia
d. Apple's iphone
Answer: (c)

48. State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) in April 2011 finally decided to make which one of the following its 100% subsidiary?
a. Ergon Speciality Oils
b. Prize Petroleum Corporation
c. Conoco Phillips Corporation
d. Royal Dutch Shell plc
Answer: (b)

49. The Miglani family acquired Brahmani Industries which is a greenfield steel plant being built in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. The Miglani family jointly controls high-grade steelmaker Uttam Galva Steel along with which of the following steel giants?
a. ArcelorMittal India
b. POSCO
c. Nippon Steel
d. Tata Steel
Answer: (a)

50. Executive Editor of the Malayala Manorama Group of Publications of India was elected as the president of WAN-IFRA at its Annual General Meeting in Dublin, Ireland in April 2011. Name the Executive Editor of the Malayala Manorama Group of Publications.
a. Jacob Mathew
b. Gavin K O'Reilly
c. Tomas Brunegard
d. Seok Hyun Hong
Answer: (a)

51. Which Indian pharmaceutical company entered into a joint-venture with the US' Merck & Co on 11 April 2011 to develop and manufacture innovative, branded generic medicines for the emerging markets?
a. Dr. Reddy's
b. Sun Pharmaceutical
c. Ranbaxy Laboratories
d. Herbal India Phytochem
Answer: (b)

52. Which company on 11 April 2011 entered the water purification business and also launched the world's first wonder door refrigerator that saves energy?
a. LG Electronics
b. Videocon
c. Phillips
d. Samsung
Answer: (a)

53. Which of the following banks launched 24 hour operating e-banking lounge in Chennai on 11 April 2011 along with other facilities like maestro enabled debit card for senior citizens and inter-bank mobile payment services?
a. Punjab National Bank
b. Indian Bank
c. Indian Overseas Bank
d. Corporation Bank
Answer: (b)

54. Which two consumer-goods giants were slapped with fines totaling €315.2 million ($456.3 million) by the European Commission for operating a laundry-detergent cartel that stemmed from an industry-wide environmental initiative?
1. Procter & Gamble Co.
2. Unilever PLC
3. The Coca-Cola Company
4. Pepsico, Inc
a. 3 & 4
b. 2 & 3
c. 1 & 3
d. 1 & 2
Answer: (d)

55. Company List Indians appointed as CEO
1. Reckitt Benckiser A. Vikram Pandit
2. MasterCard Worldwide B. Indira Nooyi
3. Citigroup C. Rakesh Kapoor
4. PespsiCo D. Ajay Banga
A B C D
a. 3 4 1 2
b. 2 1 3 4
c. 1 4 2 3
d. 3 1 4 2
Answer: (a)

56. The country's second-largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto announced in April 2011 its tie-up with which bank to offer inventory finance to its dealers?
a. State Bank of India
b. ICICI
c. Corporation Bank
d. Bank of India
Answer: (a)

57. Which of the following world champions won the Malaysian Grand Prix with a dominant drive on 10 April 2011?
a. Sebastien Vettel
b. Mark Webber
c. Jenson Button
d. Alonso
Answer: (a)

58. Which Indian golfer won the Panasonic Open 2011 held at the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi on 9 April 2011?
a. Anirban Lahiri
b. Manav Jaini
c. Ali Sher
d. Mardan Mamat
Answer: (a)

59. Which telecom service provider paid more than 85 crore to renew its sponsorship contract and signed the most expensive sponsorship deal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Chennai Super Kings for IPL season 4?
a. Vodafone
b. Uninor
c. Airtel
d. Aircel
Answer: (d)

60. Which of the following golfer won the 75th U.S. Masters on 10 April 2011?
a. Jason Day
b. Adam Scott
c. Charl Schwartzel
d. Luke Donald
Answer: (c)

61. International Association for Athletics Federation (IAAF) on 12 April 2011 became the first international sports federation to approve new rules on the eligibility of female athletes who suffers from overproduction of male sex hormones. What is the condition caused by overproduction of male sex hormones called?
a. Cushing's syndrome
b. Idiopathic hirsutism
c. Andropause
d. Hyperandrogenism
Answer: (d)

62. Wisden, regarded as the Bible of cricket on 13 April 2011 named Sachin Tendulkar as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2010. Which other Indian cricketer in the past has been honoured with Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year?
a. Sunil Gavaskar
b. Virender Sehwag
c. Kapil Dev
d. Srikanth
Answer: (b)

63. Read the following
1. This retail stalwart was a well known name in the Indian retail industry died on 10 April 2011.
2. He was one of the founders of Indian corporate retail and was part of the start-up team of FoodWorld Supermarkets, which had heralded organised retail into India in the mid-nineties.
3. At the time of his death the CEO of Future Value Retail and executive board member of Future group.
4. He had started his career with the RPG group in Dunlop in 1980.
Identify the person with the help of the above mentioned cue
a. Raghu Pillai
b. Ghanshyam Das
c. Venugopal Dhoot
d. Mukesh Wadhumal Jagtiani
Answer: (a)

64. Who among of the following was appointed the Chairman, Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in April 2011?
a. Shiv Nadar
b. B. Muthuraman
c. L.M. Thapar
d. Russi Mody
Answer: (a)

65. The first all-India president of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and editor of the Chintha Publishers of the CPI(M) in Kerala breathed his last on 9 April 2011. Name the person being referred to.
a. ONV Kurup
b. C. Bhaskaran
c. A A Rahim
d. K V Sumesh
Answer: (b)

66. Which of the following members of National Commission for Women was made acting chairperson on the completion of tenure of Dr. Girija Vyas?
a. Yasmeen Abrar
b. Nirmala Venkatesh
c. Zohra Chatterji
d. Dr. Indira Mishra
Answer: (a)

67. Name the social activist who was on 7 April 2011 announced the winner of the 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM).
a. Anna Hazare
b. Medha Patkar
c. Prakash Pohare
d. Mirai Chatterjee
Answer: (a)

68. Who was the first man from Russia who on 12 April 1961 made his journey to space in the Vostok rocket marking the greatest victory of Soviet science?
a. Alexey Leonov
b. Vladimir Chelomei
c. Vladimir Komarov
d. Yuri Gagarin
Answer: (d)

69. Aviation safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to serve show-cause notices to four private domestic carriers on 13 April 2011 for violating norms at the Dabolim airport in Goa. Which of the following carrier was not served the notice?
a. GoAir
b. Kingfisher
c. Jet Airways
d. JetLite
e. Air Sahara
Answer: (e)

70. Sixty Six Indian nationals, including 11 women and 12 children were safely evacuated from Abidjan to Accra on Aircraft? What is the name of the Aircraft?
a) Boing 737
b) Boing 773
c) Boing 337
d) Boing 777
Answer: (a) Boing 737

71. Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected the President of Djibouti according to the election results declared on 9 April 2011. Who was the first president of Djibouti?
a) Hassan Gouled Aptidon
b) Mohamed Warsama Ragueh
c) Muammar Gaddafi
d) Hosni Mubarak
Answer: (a) Hasan Goulded Aptidon

72. Japan's nuclear crisis worsened on 12 April 2011 with the severity level at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant increasing to a maximum seven level bringing it at par with the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe in Russia. Chernobyl catastrophe happened in__.
a) Russia
b) China
c) USA
d) Canada
Answer: (a) Russia

73. Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected the President of Djibouti according to the election results declared on 9 April 2011. Djibouti is located in which one of the following Continents?
a) Africa
b) Asia
c) Europe
d) North America
Answer: (a): Africa

74. India, on 11 April 2011, offered expertise and latest technology in sugar industry to Ethiopia____.
a) Ethiopia
b) Japan
c) Sri Lanka
d) Nigeria
Answer: (a) Ethiopia

75. Scientists have identified five genes which raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Consider the following statements regarding Alzheimer's disease.
i) Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of Dementia.
ii) Problems that happen due to the Alzheimer's are personality-disorder, decision making, abstract thinking and loss of initiative.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a) Only i
b) Only ii
c) Both i and ii
d) Neither i nor ii
Answer: (c) Both i and ii

76. At the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, the scientists calculated that the Earth sees about __ thunderstorms every hour.
a) 670
b) 580
c) 760
d) 960
Answer: (c) 760

77. A giant predatory theropod dinosaur, similar in stature and size to Tyrannosaurus rex, has been identified by palaeontologists. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
i) The new dinosaur, named Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, probably stood four metres tall, was 11 metres long and weighed around six tonnes.
ii) Like T. rex, it was a carnivore with huge powerful jaws.
iii) It ran on back legs, with small front limbs.
a) Only i and ii
b) Only i and iii
c) Only ii and iii
d) All i, ii and iii are correct
Answer: (d) All i,ii and iii are correct

78. A team from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, discovered that a green alga invades tiny developing salamander embryos. What is this phenomenon called?
a) Symbiosis
b) Photosynthesis
c) Ecdysis
d) Aestivation
Answer: (a) Symbiosis

79. Scientists recently developed a computer that could be controlled by the power of thought. It would help people unable to speak or move. What is the name of the technology which they used to develop this kind of computer?
a) electrocortiography
b) symbian C++
c) java
d) flash lite
Answer: (a) electrocartiography
80. Who won the National Jute Board-Kolkata international squash at Calcutta Racket Club on 3 April 2011 after defeating Omar Mosaad?
a. Karim Darwish
b. Khawaja Adil Maqbool
c. Ritwik Bhattacharya
d. Peter Nicol
Answer: (a)

81. Read the following statements:
1. He won the ATP Miami Masters crown by defeating Nadal and thus remained unbeaten in 2011.
2. He captured all four titles- the Australian Open, Dubai, elite Masters titles at Indian Wells and Miami in 2011.
3. He had won his first Miami Masters title in 2007.
4. He joined Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras as the only players to win the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami in the same year.
Identify the tennis player being referred to.
a. Novak Djokovic
b. Roger Federer
c. Andy Murray
d. Rafael Nadal
Answer: (a)

82. Which of the following companies announced their alliance with Chennai Super Kings as the official team partner for the upcoming IPL Season 4?
a. ONGC
b. Indian Oil Corporation
c. Hindusthan Petroleum
d. Gulf Oil Corporation
Answer: (d)

83. Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was offered and accepted the honour of being chosen to get an honorary commission in which of the following?
a. Indian Navy
b. Territorial Army
c. Indian Air Force
d. Indian Para-military Force
Answer: (b)

84. Which of the following real estate firms on 5 April 2011 announced a gift in the shape of villas worth Rs. 9 crore to skipper M.S. Dhoni and his teammates following their victory in the World Cup 2011?
a. DLF
b. Amrapali
c. Unitech
d. Tata Construction & Projects Ltd
Answer: (b)

85. Which of the following Indian cricket is the most heavily insured player for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 4 T-20 tournament which begins on 8 April 2011?
a. Sachin Tendulkar
b. Yuvraj Singh
c. M S Dhoni
d. Virender Sehwag
Answer: (c)

86. Union Sports Ministry on 6 April 2011 formed a committee to fine-tune the draft National Sports Development Bill. Who is heading the committee?
a. Justice Mukul Mudgal
b. Justice Tej Pratap Singh Mann
c. Justice Gurdev Singh
d. Justice Jaswant Singh Phogat
Answer: (a)

87. Which of the following steel plants in India achieved record production of 5.71 million tonnes (mt) of hot metal (a 6.3 per cent growth over 2009-10), 5.33 mt of crude steel (4.3 per cent) and 4.57 mt of saleable steel (4.3 per cent)?
a. Bhillai Steel Plant
b. Rourkela Steel Plant
c. Bokaro Steel Plant
d. Salem Steel Plant
Answer: (a)

88. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) on 5 April 2011 published a draft policy on which of the following to enable the government departments to provide services, including payment of utility bills and filing of tax with the use of a medium?
a. Mobile governance
b. E-governance
c. Service Delivery Gateway
d. Applications Inter-operability
Answer: (a)

89. Engineering and construction major L&T announced that it has achieved financial closure for which of the following with the help of 10-bank consortium led by SBI pitching in with Rs 11478 crore debt?
a. Kolkata Metro Rail Project
b. Pune Metro Project
c. Delhi Metro project
d. Hyderabad Metro Rail project
Answer: (d)

90. At the National Conference on Kharif Strategies, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on 6 April 2011 mentioned that India has achieved an all-time high production of foodgrains. What was the estimation regarding foodgain production in 2010-11?
a. 235.88 million tonnes
b. 215 million tonnes
c. 261.34 million tonnes
d. 222.66 million tonnes
Answer: (a)

91. This agency issued guidelines on distance marketing of products on 6 April 2011 to protect the interest of people who buy policies over phone or Internet. Identify the agency.
a. SEBI
b. IRDA
c. TRAI
d. DoT
Answer: (b)

92. Buyer's Credit was launched by the Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on 6 April 2011 to boost project exports from India. Under which of the following was Buyer's Credit launched?
a. National Export Insurance Account
b. Export-Import Bank of India
c. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India
d. Reserve Bank of India
Answer: (a)

93. Record food grain production helped to reduce to food inflation to a four month low for the week ending 26 March 2011. What was the inflation percentage for the week?
a. 9.18%
b. 9.25%
c. 9.21%
d. 9.36%
Answer: (a)

94. Solvay, the Belgian soda ash maker which sold a drugs unit a year ago, agreed to buy which of the following French companies to add specialty chemicals spanning ingredients for moisturisers and car-part polymers?
a. Rhodia
b. Danisco
c. Cognis
d. Le Zèbre
Answer: (a)

95. Vivendi agreed to buy Vodafone Group's 44% stake in which of the French mobile-phone operator's for euro 7.95 billion ($11.3 billion) to win full control of its largest unit and secure more stable earnings?
a. T-Mobile
b. Orange
c. Virgin Mobile
d. SFR
Answer: (d)

96. Which of the following companies in April 2011 filed a petition in the Supreme Court to block penal action initiated by the Income Tax authorities on its contested $2.5-billion tax bill?
a. Vodafone International
b. Bharti Airtel
c. Uninor
d. Tata Teleservices
Answer: (a)

97. The Indian Government in April 2011 issued a notice to which of the following companies to terminate licences for Kerala, West Bengal and Assam for delay in roll- out of services in these three circles?
a. Sistema Shyam Teleservices
b. Tata Teleservices
c. Reliance
d. BSNL
Answer: (a)

98. Which of the following companies bought the Pringles brand from Procter & Gamble Co for $1.5 billion?
a. Diamond Foods Inc
b. PepsiCo's Frito-Lay
c. Emerald Nuts
d. Kettle Potato Chips
Answer: (a)

99. Which Italian luxury sports car makers on 6 April 2011 announced its entry into the Indian market where it will sell its high-performance cars priced between Rs.1.20 crore and Rs.1.43 crore?
a. Maserati
b. Bentley
c. Aston Martin
d. Maybach
Answer: (c)

100. Which of the following companies announced on 6 April 2011 that it won contract to provide broadband internet connectivity to Indian Railways through state-run RailTel Corp of India Ltd?
a. DEL
b. IBM
c. Infosys
d. HCL Infosystems
Answer: (d)

CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQs

CURRENT AFFAIRS

 

 1. The Haryana government declared two days’ state mourning on 5 May and 6 May 2011 following the death of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu. Dorjee Khandu was the Chief Minister of -

a) Assam
b) Arunachal Pradesh
c) Manipur
d) Meghalaya
Answer: (b)

2. The Supreme Court of India on 5 May 2011 reserved verdict on the petition seeking a direction to disband and disarm Special Police Officers recruited under Salwa Judum movement. Salwa judum movement is associated with which one of the following states?

a) Chhattisgarh
b) Bihar
c) Jharkhand
d) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: (a)

3. Which one of the following launched social security scheme for Gramin Dak Sevaks?
a) Ministry of Home Affairs
b) Ministry of Communications and IT
c) Ministry of Personnel and Grievance
d) Ministry of Rural Development
Answer: (b) Ministry of Communications and IT

4.  Identify the person with the given clues -

1.    He was declared the winner of Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010 by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
2.    He entered the film industry in 1965 and shot into fame with his very first film ‘Neerkumizhi’ starring Nagesh.
3.    He received the prestigious Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 1987
4.    Rudraveena(Telugu) directed by him won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

a.    Director K. Balachander
b.    Dr. Daggubati Ramanaidu
c.    A. R. Murugadoss
d.    K. S. Ravikumar
Answer: (a)

5. S.C. Chetal took over as Director of which of the following bodies in India on 29 April 2011?
a. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
b. Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) Center
c. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
d. BARC Training School
Answer: (c)

6. The Indian government on 2 May 2011 appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as petroleum secretary. Who did he replace?
a.    Murli Manohar Joshi
b.    BL Meena
c.    S Sundareshan
d.    Ajay Maken
Answer: (c)

7.    Ashok Motwani was appointed Managing Director and CEO on 2 May 2011 of which of the following bodies?
a.    Stock Holding Corporation of India
b.    IDBI Trusteeship Services
c.    Asset Reconstruction Company of India
d.    Small Industries Development Bank of India
Answer: (a)

8.    The Pawan Hans helicopter carrying among others Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu had gone missing on 30 April 2011. The search operation that followed came to an on 4 May 2011 when Dorjee's body was found among the wreckage of the Pawan Hans. To which of the following tribes of Arunachal Pradesh did Dorjee belong to?
a.    Monpa
b.    Sherdukpen
c.    Memba
d.    Wancho
Answer: (a)

9.    The Chief Minister of which Indian state approved an outlay of Rs.1,255 crore for upgradation of water supply and sewerage works in the State on 4 May 2011?
a.    Rajasthan
b.    Uttarakhand
c.    Gujarat
d.    Haryana
Answer: (d)

10.    The Postal Department on 3 May 2011 launched the new social security scheme for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS). Which of the following is not true with regard to the scheme launched?
1.    Union Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot launched the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) for GDS.
2.    The scheme will be operationalised utilising IRDA's New Pension Scheme product, NPS-Lite.
3.    The cost of the management of the scheme is likely to be over Rs.70 crore annually and will be borne by the Union Government.
4.    The Postal Department decided to deposit Rs.200 per GDS per month.
a.    2 & 4
b.    Only 2
c.    Only 4
d.    3 & 4
Answer: (b)

11.    Who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 5 May 2011 following the death of Dorjee Khandu in the Pawan Hans chopper crash?
a.    Jarbom Gamlin
b.    Chowna Mein
c.    C C Singpho
d.    Newlai Tingkhatra
Answer: (a)

12. Who among the following Popes of the Vatican City is the Slavic or Polish Pope to date?
a.    Pope Adrian VI
b.    Pope Pius IX
c.    Pope John Paul II
d.    Pope Benedict XVI
Answer: (c)

13. Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention in Geneva on 29 April 2011 approved the recommendation for elimination of production and use of which of the following?
a.    Endosulfan
b.    Neonicotinoids
c.    Organophosphates
d.    Metarhizium anisopliae
Answer: (a)

14. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency, Roscomos resigned from his post in April 2011. Whom did Russian PM, Putin appoint on 29 April 2011 to replace Anatoly Perminov?
a.    Vladimir Popovkin
b.    Sergei Kiriyenko
c.    Sergei Lavrov
d.    Yevgeny Primakov
Answer: (a)

15. Identify the boxer with the clues given below:
1.    Former British boxing legend who was one of the sport's biggest personalities and was a cult figure both in and out of the ring died on 1 May 2011
2.    The heavyweight was best known for knocking down a young Cassius Clay now known as Muhammad Ali in 1963
3.    He went on to enjoy a hugely successful professional career though he never won a world title
4.    He was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice (in 1967 and 1970) and one of the only three two-time winners in the award's history
a.    Sir Henry Cooper
b.    Frank Bruno
c.    Tommy Farr
d.    Lennox Lewis
Answer: (a)

16. Portugal reached a deal with the European Union and the IMF on 3 May 2011 on a €78-billion 3-year bailout. Which are the other two European nations that had attained a similar relief package in the past?
a.    Greece and Ireland
b.    Ireland and Denmark
c.    Hungary and Latvia
d.    Poland and Montenegro
Answer: (a)

17. Bin Laden was killed after a gunbattle with Navy SEALs and CIA paramilitary forces at a compound in which city of Pakistan?
a.    Abbottabad
b.    Swabi
c.    Nowshera
d.    Faisalabad
Answer: (a)

18. At the first Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control was organised by World Health Organisation on 28 and 29 April 2011on mental disorders was included in the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) list. Where was the conference held?
a.    New Delhi
b.    Beijing
c.    Colombo
d.    Moscow
Answer: (d)

19. Mohamad Nasheed, faced protests from his people demanding his resignation. Nasheed is the President of which one of the following countries?
a) Maldives
b) Indonesia
c) Bahrain
d) Yemen
Answer: (a)

20. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Association) carried out a strike on Muammar Gaddafi’s home in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on 30 April 2011 which killed the youngest son of Mummar Gaddafi, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi. What is the name of Gaddafi’s residential area in Tripoli?
a) Bab al-Azizya
b) Green Square
c) Pearl Square
d) Tahrir Square
Answer: (a)

21.  Which one of the following neighbouring countries of India made a cabinet reshuffle?
a) Nepal
b) Sri Lanka
c) Pakistan
d) Bhutan
Answer: (a)

22. The two Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement at__
a) Cairo, the Capital of Egypt
b) London, the Capital of England
c) New Delhi, Capital of India
d) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Answer: (a)

23.  Which one of the following countries became the third European nation after Greece and Ireland to strike a deal with European Union for a bailout package to come out of the debt crisis?
a) Portugal
b) Spain
c) Belgium 
d) Netherland
Answer: (a)

24. Who did Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia defeat to become the first winner of the $200000 India Open Super Series badminton championship at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi on 1 May 2011?
a.    Peter Gade
b.    Tantowi Ahmad
c.    Fran Kurniawan
d.    Lin Dan
Answer: (a)

25. Who among the following Indian woman pugilists did not win gold at the AIBA Women’s Youth and Junior World Championship held in Antalya, Turkey?
a.    Nikhat Zareen
b.    Lalenkawli
c.    Sarjubala Devi
d.    Minu Basumatary
e.    Parveen Sultana
Answer: (e)

26. Name the Russian tennis pro who won his first ATP title of 2011 with his victory at the BMW Open in Munich?
a.    Nikolay Davydenko
b.    Mikhail Youzhny
c.    Andrei Stoliarov
d.    Michail Elgin
Answer: (a)

27. Which tennis player won the third edition of the Serbian Open on 1 May 2011 by defeating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez?
a.    Novak Djokovic
b.    Nikolay Davydenko
c.    Roger Federer
d.    Rafael Nadal
Answer: (a)

28. Which of the following European Football Club reached the finals of Champions League  and thereby avenged the death of its 2009 Champions League defeat?
a.    Real Madrid
b.    Barcelona
c.    Manchester United
d.    Liverpool
Answer: (c)
29. L&T Infotech was chosen to be an Implementation Agency to implement the Business Analytics Project in order to provide for data and information for analysing insurance companies and regulatory decision making by which body?
a.    IRDA
b.    SEBI
c.    RBI
d.    PFO
Answer: (a)

30. Propelled by higher crude petroleum and steel production, the index of the six ‘core' infrastructure industries registered 6.8 per cent higher growth in March 2011 compared to March 2011. What percentage growth did the index record?
a.    7.4%
b.    7.1%
c.    7.5%
d.    7.34%
Answer: (a)

31. The Annual Monetary Policy for 2011-12 was presented by RBI Governor D.Subbarao on 3 May 2011. With regard to the monetary policies mention which of the following is/are not correct?
1.    RBI increased the repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 50 basis points from 6.75 per cent to 7.25 per cent with immediate effect.
2.    The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate, determined with a spread of 100 basis points above the repo rate, stands calibrated at 8.75 per cent.
3.    The Bank Rate has been retained at 5.0 per cent.
4.    Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2011 decided to accept the broad framework of regulations recommended by the Malegam Committee report on micro finance institutions (MFIs)
a.    3 & 4
b.    1 & 4
c.    2 & 3
d.    1 & 3
Answer: (c)

32. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) capped bank investments into liquid schemes to what per cent of the bank’s net worth?
a.    15%
b.    10%
c.    12%
d.    13.2%
Answer: (b)

33. Which Industry Body proposed setting up of National Knowledge Functional Hub (NKFH) to engage higher educational institutions with the industry in order to produce quality engineering graduates and meet increasing requirement of skilled hands in the market?
a.    Food Corporation of India
b.    Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
c.    Biotechnology Council of India
d.    Confederation of Indian Industries
e.    ASSOCHAM
Answer: (b)

34. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) towards the end of April 2011signed a memorandum of understanding with which of the following banks thereby adding another bank under its Bank Credit Facilitation Scheme?
a.    IndusInd Bank
b.    Vijaya Bank
c.    Canara Bank
d.    RBS
Answer: (a)

35. Which of the following automakers appointed advertising agency McCann Erickson to handle creative and digital accounts of one of its brands in India?
a.    General Motors India
b.    Maruti Suzuki
c.    Das Auto
d.    Hyundai
Answer: (a)

36. Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) awarded a Rs 298.63-crore contract to leading engineering and construction company Hindustan Construction Company Ltd for construction of which canal in India?
a.    Limbdi Branch Canal
b.    Agra Canal
c.    Lower Bhavani Project Canal
d.    Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project
Answer: (a)

37. The Bombay High Court directed which of the following Airlines to pay Sahara India Rs 478 crore within two weeks?
a.    Emirates
b.    Jet Airways
c.    Kingfisher Airlines
d.    Air India
Answer: (b)

38. Praveen Kumar Goyal replaced S V Narasimhan as Director (Finance) of which Public Sector Enterprise?
a.    IOC
b.    ONGC
c.    BHEL
d.    NTPC
Answer: (a)

39. Which pharmaceutical companie’s shares tanked 6 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange on 5 May 2011 following a report by Fortune Magazine that the company may have to pay a penalty of over a billion dollars for allegedly violating manufacturing norms laid down by the US drug regulator
a.    Ranbaxy Laboratories
b.    Dr.Reddy’s
c.    Pfizer
d.    Novartis
Answer: (a)

40. Which steel company announced on 5 May 2011 that it has won an order from Mazagaon Dock to supply 13,000 tonnes of heavy plates?
a.    Kobe Steel
b.    Essar Steel
c.    Jindal Steel
d.    JSW Steel
Answer: (b)

41. ISRO on 2 May 2011 unveiled India’s fastest supercomputer named as__?
a) Param
b) SAGA-220
c) SAGA-200
d) Tianhe-1 A
Answer: (b) SAGA-220

42. At present, who is the Chairman of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)?
a) Dr K Radhakrishnan
b) G Madhvan Nair
c) Vinod Rai
d) Murli Manohar Joshi
Answer: (a) Dr. K Radhakrishnan

43. Pig-nosed Turtles Face Extinction Threat because of Poaching. Consider the following statements on Pig-nosed Turtles.
i) The scientific name of pig-nosed turtle is Carettochelys insculpta.
ii) The pig-nosed turtle is fully aquatic.  
Choose the right option.
a)    Both i and ii are correct.
b)    Only i is correct.
c)    Only ii is correct.
d)    Neither i nor ii is correct.
Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct.

44. According to the NASA experts, a giant asteroid is heading close the earth.  What is the name of that asteroid?
a)YU55
b)UY55
c) YU45
d) UY 45
Answer: (a) YU55

45.  A recent survey done in Pune showed that 20 out of 3172 patients were carrying the superbug, NDM-1 gene.  What is the full form of NDM-1?
a) New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase-1
b) New Delhi Metro-1
c) New Delhi M-1
d) New Delhi Metallo-1
Answer: (a) New Delhi metallo-beta lactamese-1

46. Scientists recently developed a new vaccine named Bapineuzumab jab. The vaccine is meant to cure__.
a) Cancer
b) Alzheimer
c) AIDS
d) Diabetes
Answer: (b)

47. USA approved the use of drone on forces of Gaddafi in Libya. What is Drone?
a) Unmanned aircraft
b) Missile
c) Aircraft
d) Tank
Answer: (a)

48. Union Minister for Environment and forests Jairam Ramesh launched on 23 April 2011 a Bio-remediation technology project in the Buddah Nallah of Ludhiana in Punjab. Consider the following statements regarding the project.
i) This is the first and the largest project of environment ministry across India under which bacteria are used for cleaning water bodies.
ii) There are five places across India where such Bio-remediation projects have been launched.
iii) The project is aimed at curbing pollution caused by sewerage and industrial effluents.
Choose the right option:
a) All i, ii and iii are correct.
b) Only ii and iii are correct.
c) Only i and iii are correct.
d) Only i and ii are correct.
Answer: (a)

49. According to a new study done at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, a controlled diet named Ketogenic diet.
i) Ketogenic diet is high in carbohydrate and low in fat.
ii) It can help repair kidney damage in diabetics.
Please choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Only i is correct.
c) Only ii is correct.
d) Neither i nor ii is correct.
Answer: (c)

50. According to a study done by the Scientists at Columbia University, the Antarctic ozone hole caused the series of droughts in Australia. The Ozone hole is caused by Cholorofluorocarbons(CFCs) found in air conditioning, aerosol and refrigeration.
a) Air Conditioning, aerosol and refrigeration
b) Aerosol and Refrigeration
c) Air conditioning and refrigeration
d) Air Conditioning only.
Choose the right option:
Answer:  (a)

51. Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most influential spiritual leaders expired on 24 April 2011 in his home town in Andhra Pradesh. Name his hometown.
a. Warangal
b. Puttaparthi
c. Mahabubnagar
d. Vepagunta
Answer: (b)

52. Nawang Gombu, the first man to scale Mt. Everest twice died in Darjeeling early on 24 April 2011 at the age of 79. Nawang was the first person in the world to summit Mt Everest twice, the first in India to conquer Nanda Devi (24,645ft) and the youngest to climb to a height of 26000 feet. Which of the following awards did he not win?
a. Padma Bhusan
b. Padma Shree
c. Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
d. Bharat Ratna
Answer: (d)

53. According to reports of Freedom House published on 23 April 2011 what was India’s ranking among 37 countries that were assessed on the basis of free and unrestricted access to the web?
a. 10th
b. 14th
c. 25th
d. 28th
Answer: (b)

54. Identify the person with the help of the following clues:
1. He was arrested by the CBI in relation to the scam that revolved around a Rs 141-crore contract for the in-stadia results and scoring system.
2. A three-time Lok Sabha MP from Pune, he held the position of the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) since 1996.
3. He is an alumnus of two prominent educational institutions in Pune — St Vincent’s high school and Fergusson College.
4. He had joined the National Defence Academy in 1960 and was later commissioned in the IAF as a pilot
a. Suresh Kalmadi
b. Vinod Goenka
c. Sharad Kumar
d. Karim Morani
Answer: (a)

55. Which group won 12 awards, including four Golds at the third edition of the WOW awards in April 2011 for events and experiential marketing?
a. Mudra Group
b. Wizcraft
c. GroupM Media
d. Candid Marketing
Answer: (a)

56.  Which one of the following became the first Indian state to set up Agriculture Cabinet?
a. Bihar
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Haryana
d. Punjab
Answer: (a)

57.  Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) has identified twenty-five ecologically sensitive areas in which one of the following states?
a. Kerala
b. Goa
c. Maharashtra
d. Karnataka
Answer: (a)

58.  The National Advisory Council (NAC) finalised a draft bill named the draft prevention of communal and targeted violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill to tackle communal violence including attacks SC and ST members and religious and linguistic minorities. Who is the Chairperson of NAC?
a. Sonia Gandhi
b. Manmohan Singh
c. Suresh Kalmadi
d. Rahul Gandhi
Answer: (a)

59. Which body in India demanded on 24 April 2011 introduction of financial support through legislation for preventing corrosion of machines, pipelines and industrial structures?
a. Confederation of Indian Industry
b. Indian Ministry of Commerce
c. Competition Commission of India
d. Indian Chamber of Commerce
Answer: (a)

60. Which of the following bodies in April 2011modified the norms for appointment of its internal auditor?
a. SEBI
b. PFRDA
c. IRDA
d. India Inc
Answer: (a)

61. According to the data released by Central Electricity Authority, India generated 811 billion units of electricity in 2010-11 fiscal marginally lower than the set target. What was the target set for electricity generation for 2010-11?
a. 830 billion units
b. 830.8 billion units
c. 815 billion units
d. 818 billion units
Answer: (b)

62. Market regulator SEBI on 25 April 2011 sought more time from the Supreme Court to give its views on the report of a high-powered committee that probed case that dates back to 2006. Name the scam being referred to.
a. IPO scam
b. Telgi Stamp Paper Scam
c. UTI Scam
d. Madhu Coda Scam
Answer: (a)

63. National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) on 26 April 2011 announced which of the following individual’s appointment as its Chairman?
a. Rajendra S. Pawar
b. Harsh Manglik
c. N. Chandrasekaran
d. Ganesh Natarajan
Answer: (a)

64. The Reserve Bank of India on 26 April 2011 fined 19 banks, including the country's top private and foreign banks for violating its guidelines on derivatives. Which is the only public sector bank on the list of banks to be fined?
a. State bank of India
b. Punjab National Bank
c. Bank of India
d. Indian Bank
Answer: (a)

65. Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most influential spiritual leaders expired on 24 April 2011 in his home town of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh. Hindu devotees believed him to be an incarnation of which of the following Gods?
a. Kapila
b. Dattatreya
c. Narasimha
d. Dhanvantari
Answer: (b)

66. Read the following clues:
1. The flower bloomed for the first time in 17 years in the Swiss city of Basel on 22 April 2011.
2. The 6.6-ft tall flower is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra and emits the stench of rotting flesh to attract insects for pollination.
3. World-wide, there have only been 134 recorded instances of cultivated plants blooming.
4. The plant is on the verge of extinction as illegal logging and farmland expansion have destroyed nearly 70 percent of its rainforest habitat in western Sumatra.
Identify the flower.
a. Acalypha hispida
b. Celosia argentea var. cristata
c. Amorphophallus titanum
d. Evolvulus glomeratus
Answer: (c)

67. A panel probing charges of corruption, land grab and abuse of judicial office against which of the following Justices rejected the Justice in question’s plea for reclusion of senior advocate P.P. Rao from the panel formed to probe?
a. Justice P.D. Dinakaran
b. Justice Aftab Alam
c. Justice J.S. Khehar
d. Justice N. K. Patil
Answer: (a)

68. Which of the following dates in the month of April is annually celebrated as World Book Day?
a. 23 April
b. 24 April
c. 25 April
d. 28 April
Answer: (a)

69. DSP Durgapur Steel Plant Day is celebrated at Durgapur in which of following dates in April?
a. 24 April
b. 27 April
c. 30 April
d. 25 April
Answer: (a)

70. Chilean poet Gonzalo Rojas, who was forced into exile after the 1973 military coup died on 25 April 2011 at the age of 93. Which of the following is his first poetry anthology published in 1948?
a. The Misery of Man
b. From Water
c. On Lightning
d. Transtierro
Answer: (a)

71. With an objective to promote the famous Indian Ayurvedic products, India Trade and Exhibition Centre (ITEC) decided to host an Indo-Ayur Fest in which of the following cities from 27 to 30 April 2011?
a. Abu Dhabi
b. Sharjah
c. Tehran
d. Islamabad
Answer: (b)

72. U.K Sinha succeeded C B Bhabe to be elected Chairman of which of the following bodies?
a. Asia-Pacific Regional Committee (APRC) of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
b. SAARC Executive Committee Chairman
c. Asian Development Bank Chairperson
d. ASEAN Chairman
Answer: (a)

73. In Yemen, protests continued despite the government’s acceptance of the plan of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). The council had proposed a 30-day exit plan for its President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The GCC was formed on 25 May 1981, in __.
a. Riyadh
b. Tehran
c. Cairo
d. Sana’a
Answer: (a)

74. Which one of the following countries proposed a plan to strengthen safety standards in Nuclear Power plants?
a. Russia
b. UK
c. Japan
d. China
Answer: (a)

75. Russia proposed a plan to strengthen safety standards in Nuclear Power plants. Consider the main features of the plan:
i) To make nations using nuclear energy more responsible.
ii) Additional safety measures for nuclear reactors and a ban on the construction of reactors in quake-prone zones.
iii) To give more powers to international watchdogs to enforce the safety rules to avoid any nuclear catastrophe in future.
Which of the above statements regarding the plan is/are correct?
a. All i, ii and iii are correct.
b.  Only i and ii are correct.
c. Only i is correct.
d. Only ii is correct.
Choose the right option:
Answer: (a)

76. Iran and Iraq signed agreements on 24 April 2011 in Tehran on the extradition of each other’s detainees including provisions for the repatriation of convicts to their country of origin. Tehran is the capital of__.
a. Iran
b. Iraq
c. Both Iran and Iraq
d. Saudi Arabia
Answer: (a)

77. Which one of the following countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) for the use of an explosive detection technology.
a. USA
b. Russia
c. Japan
d. Philippines
Answer: (a)

78. Norio Ohga, who transformed the music industry with the development of the compact disc format died on 23 April 2011. He was the president of which of these companies from 1982 to 1995 during which he helped to purchase Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion in 1989?
a. Sony
b. Phillips
c. Star
d. Live Nation Entertainment
e. The Walt Disney Company
Answer: (a)

79. Which company launched a customer relationship management (CRM) application via the private cloud to provide Microsoft's CRM software suite as a cloud service?
a. DELL
b. HP
c. HCL
d. Infosys
Answer: (b)

80. Which of the following vehicles from the Mahindra & Mahindra stable was renamed Verito?
a. Logan
b. Bolero
c. Xylo
d. Reva
Answer: (a)

81. Kalpataru Power Transmission secured orders to construct a 750 kV, 353-km transmission line from Rivnenska nuclear power station to Kyiv worth about Rs 825 crore. From which of the following companies did Kalpataru secure the order from?
a. Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company
b. Ukraine's state company NEC Ukrenergo
c. Millenium Challenge Account – Tanzania
d. Indian Oil Corporation
Answer: (b)

82. Which of the following steel plants in India bagged the prestigious Srishti Good Green Governance Award for 2010?
a. Bhilai Steel Plant
b. Rourkela Steel Plant
c. Bokaro Steel Plant
d. Salem Steel Plant
Answer: (b)

83. Redington India was appointed as the national distributor for which of the following global information technology major?
a. DELL
b. HP
c. Accenture
d. IBM
Answer: (a)

84. India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on 20 April 2011 launched India's remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 from the spaceport of Sriharikota. In which one of the following states Sri Harikota is located?
a) Andhra Pradesh
b) Kerala
c) Karnataka
d) Rajasthan
Answer: (a) Andhra Pradesh

85. British Scientists in the third week of April 2011, at the University of Leicester produced an injectible antibody that reduces the damaging effect of heart and the brain attack on human body by more than___.
a) 45 percent
b) 50 percent
c) 55 percent
d) 60 percent
Answer: (d)

86. The US military successfully conducted its most challenging test of a ballistic missile defense system. Consider the following statements regarding that.
i) It will deploy in Europe to counter an Iran missile threat.
ii) It was the ballistic missile target launched from an atoll in the Marshall Islands approximately 3,700 kilometers southwest of Hawaii.
iii) The ground- and sea-based defense system is meant to shield the United States and its European allies from a potential ballistic missile attack, possibly from North Korea or Iran.
Choose the right option:
a) All i, ii and iii are correct.
b) Only i and ii are correct.
c) Only ii and iii are correct.
d) Only i and iii are correct.
Answer: (a)

87. India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on 20 April 2011 launched India's remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 from the spaceport of Sriharikota.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
i) India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle- C16 placed 3 satellites
ii) It placed on a 822-km sunsynchronous orbit three satellites – ResourceSat – 2, an Indo Russian YouthSat and mini satellite X Sat from Nangyang Technological University of Singapore.
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Neither i nor ii is correct.
c) Only i is correct.
d) Only ii is correct.
Answer: (a)

88. An ICAR arm, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), is coordinating with 21 institutes under ICAR umbrella to implement the NICRA (National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture) project. What is the full form of NICRA project?
a) National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture
b) National Initiative on Cultural Reform Association
c) National integration Council on Research
d) National Initiative on Core Reform Areas
Answer: (a)

89. Rafael Nadal won his seventh Monte Carlo Masters & his 44th career title by defeating which of the following tennis players 6-4, 7-5 on 17 April 2011?
a. Roger Federer
b. Novak Djokovic
c. David Ferrer
d. Andy Murray
Answer: (c)

90. Who emerged victorious in the Chinese Grand Prix on 17 April 2011?
a. Lewis Hamilton
b. Sebastian Vettel
c. Mark Webber
d. Fernando Alonso
Answer: (a)

91. Consider the following clues:
1. She is a legendary Norwegian runner who went to become the face of New York City marathon.
2. She won the New York City marathon for nine times.
3. She won the gold medal in the inaugural world championship women's marathon in 1983, the silver medal in the inaugural Olympic women's marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games .She also set four marathon world record.
4. The legendary runner who won five world titles in cross-country died on 19 April 2011.
Identify the runner.
a. Grete Waitz
b. Joan Benoit Samuelson
c. Deena Kastor
d. Amby Burfoot
Answer: (a)

92. Which Indian former World junior champion and Grandmaster defeated his BPCL teammate Parimarjan to win the Dubai International Open chess title on 19 April 2011?
a. Abhijeet Gupta
b. K. Sasikiran
c. B. Adhiban
d. Ramnath Bhuvanesh
Answer: (a)

93. The organisers of Wimbledon tournaments on 19 April 2011 raised the prize money for the winners of 2011 Wimbledon champions. The winners of 2011 Wimbledon tournaments will earn £1.1m in prize money. By what percentage was the prize money raised?
a. 5.5%
b. 6.4%
c. 4.6%
d. 2.5%
Answer: (b)

94. The Reserve Bank of India on 18 April 2011 formed a conglomerate cell within its supervisory set-up to keep a constant vigil on 12 large domestic and foreign banks. Which one of these banks will not come under the prescribed supervisory vigil?
a.State Bank of India
b. Bank of India
c. Bank of Baroda
d. Canara Bank
e. Punjab National Bank
Answer: (d)

95. Power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) on 19 April 2011 announced that its consortium with Alstom won Rs 1,600 crore contract for steam turbine generators for which nuclear power station in India?
a. Kakrapur Nuclear Power Station
b. Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Station
c. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
d. Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project
Answer: (a)

96. Oil regulator Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) refused to which companies’ spending on KG-D6 gas fields?
a. Reliance Industries
b. ONGC Videsh
c. Essar Oil
d. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited
Answer: (a)

97. Which of the following PSUs was honoured with the Outstanding PSU of the Year award by All India Management Association on 21 April 2011?
a. GAIL India
b. ONGC
c. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
d. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
Answer: (a)

98. Which public sector bank decided to do away with the teaser home loan scheme beginning 30 April 2011?
a. State Bank of India
b. Bank of India
c. Union Bank
d. Punjab National Bank
Answer: (a)

99. Which Broadcasting major in India on 15 April 2011 launched high definition versions of its channels in the country and unveiled its new corporate logo?
a. Star India
b. Sony
c. IBN 18
d. ESPN
Answer: (a)

100. Which of the following telecom majors partnered with photo service firm Zoomin.com to allow its broadband customers to store unlimited number of photos and also enable its users to import photo albums from Facebook or upload unlimited number of photos directly from their computer to their account?
a. MTNL
b. Bharti Airtel
c. Uninor
d. Blackberry
Answer: (b)

Jan Lokpal Bill

Jan Lokpal Bill is a draft anti-corruption law that would create an ombudsman called the Jan Lokpal; this would be an independent body similar to the Election Commission with the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without prior government permission. Drafted by Shanti Bhushan, retired Indian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, advocate Prashant Bhushan, former chief election commissioner J. M. Lyngdoh in consultation with the leaders of the India Against Corruption movement and civil society, the bill proposes the institution of the office of Lokpal (Ombudsman) at the center and local Lokayukta at the state level. The bill is designed to create an effective anti-corruption and grievance redressal system that effectively deters corruption while providing effective protection to whistleblowers.
For 42 years, the government- drafted bill has failed to pass through the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.
The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but stalled in the Rajya Sabha. Subsequent Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2008 but all failed to pass. Following the four day Anna Hazare fasting struggle, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated that the Lokpal Bill would be introduced in the 2011 monsoon session of parliament. Jan Lokpal Bill drafted prepared by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill envisages a system where a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission. Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare and Mallika Sarabhai are also part of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption. We have all come together to force/ request/persuade/ pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption." Anna Hazare, anticorruption crusader, began a fast-unto-death, demanding that
this bill, drafted by the civil society, be adopted. The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash" and has on it a critique of that government Bill. It also lists the difference between the Bills drafted by the government and civil society.
Major features of Jan Lokpal Bill given below:
Lokpal will have powers to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. To establish a central government anti-corruption institution called Lokpal, supported by Lokayukta at the state level. Lokpal will be much more than an Advisory Body and have the power to initiate prosecution of anyone found guilty. The existing anti-corruption agencies (CVC, departmental vigilance and the anti-corruption branch of the CBI) will be merged into Lokpal which will have complete power and authority
to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician. Whistleblowers who alert the agency to potential corruption cases will also be provided with protection by it. Lokpal will have police powers as well as the ability to register FIRs. As in the case of the Supreme Court and Cabinet Secretariat, the Lokpal will be supervised by the Cabinet Secretary and the Election Commission. As a result, it will be completely independent of the government and free from ministerial influence in its investigations. Members will be appointed by judges, Indian Administrative Service officers with a clean record, private citizens and constitutional authorities through a transparent and participatory process. A selection committee will invite shortlisted candidates for interviews, videorecordings of which will thereafter be made public. Every month on its website, the Lokayukta will publish a list of cases dealt with, brief details of each, their outcome and any action taken or proposed. It will also publish lists of all cases received by the Lokayukta during the previous month, cases dealt with and those which are pending. Investigations of each case must be completedin one year. Any resulting trials should be concluded in the following year, giving a total maximum process time of two years. Lokpal and the anti corruption wing of the CBI will be one independent body. Losses caused to the government by a corrupt individual will be recovered at the time of conviction. Government officework required by a citizen that is not completed within a prescribed time period will result in Lokpal imposing financial penalties on those responsible, which will then be given as compensation to the complainant. Complaints against any officer of Lokpal will be investigated and completed within a month and, if found to be substantive, will result in the officer being dismissed within two months. Punishments will be a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of up to life imprison.

Difference between Draft Lokpal Bill 2010 and Jan Lokpal Bill:
Lokpal will have no power to initiate suomotu action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It can only probe complaints forwarded by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the
Rajya Sabha. Lokpal will only be an Advisory Body with a role limited to forwarding reports to a "Competent
Authority". Lokpal will have no police powers and no ability to register an FIR or proceed with criminal
investigations. The CBI and Lokpal will be unconnected. Punishment for corruption will be a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of up to 7 years.

United Nations Convention against Corruption

Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability. Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development is stunted because foreign direct investment is discouraged and small businesses within the country often find it impossible to overcome the "start-up costs" required because of corruption.

In its resolution 55/61 of December 4, 2000, the UN General Assembly recognized that an effective international legal instrument against corruption, independent of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (resolution 55/25, annex I), was desirable and decided to establish an ad hoc committee for the negotiation of such an instrument in Vienna at the headquarters of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly by resolution 58/4 of October 31, 2003. In accordance with article 68 (1) of resolution 58/4, the United Nations Convention against Corruption entered into force on December 14, 2005. For each new State or regional economic integration organization becoming a party to the Convention, the Convention enters into force on the thirtieth day after the date of deposit by such State or organization of the relevant instrument.

However, India stands out as one of the few countries in the world that have not acceded to the UN convention against corruption. This convention, which came into force in 2005, has 140 countries on its list. India, which regularly battles corruption of mammoth proportions, is not.

India signed the convention in 2005 but the UPA government, particularly the department of personnel and training (DoPT), has steadfastly refused to ratify it. Over the years, MEA (which is the nodal ministry for international treaties), has been pushing the government to ratify the convention. The official reason is that India has not yet brought its domestic laws in line with the international convention. But it's been six years and there has been little interest by the government in making India less prone to corruption. India's stand is particularly strange since many Indian diplomats helped to pilot the convention through the UN.

Acceding to the convention could make it easier for India to repatriate the billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth that have been stashed overseas. Under the convention, asset recovery is a fundamental principle, Article 51 provides for the return of assets to countries of origin as a fundamental principle of this convention.

The convention requires signatories to put in place certain preventive measures—like enhanced transparency in funding election campaigns and political parties—which certainly in India is at the root of a lot of government corruption.

The convention criminalises not only basic corruption such as bribery and the embezzlement of public funds but also trading in influence and the concealment and laundering of the proceeds of corruption. According to UN literature, "offences committed in support of corruption, including money-laundering and obstructing justice, are also dealt with. Convention offences also deal with the problematic areas of private sector corruption."

The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention's far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem.

The UNCAC covers five main areas: prevention, criminalization and law enforcement measures, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange.

The UNCAC also covers many different forms of corruption, such as trading in influence, abuse of power, and various acts of corruption in the private sector. A further significant development was the inclusion of a specific chapter of the Convention dealing with the recovery of assets, a major concern for countries that pursue the assets of former leaders and other officials accused or found to have engaged in corruption. The rapidly growing number of States that have become parties to the Convention is further proof of its universal nature and reach.

Prevention
Corruption can be prosecuted after the fact, but first and foremost, it requires prevention. An entire chapter of the Convention is dedicated to prevention, with measures directed at both the public and private sectors. These include model preventive policies, such as the establishment of anti-corruption bodies and enhanced transparency in the financing of election campaigns and political parties. States must endeavour to ensure that their public services are subject to safeguards that promote efficiency, transparency and recruitment based on merit. Once recruited, public servants should be subject to codes of conduct, requirements for financial and other disclosures, and appropriate disciplinary measures. Transparency and accountability in matters of public finance must also be promoted, and specific requirements are established for the prevention of corruption, in the particularly critical areas of the public sector, such as the judiciary and public procurement.

Preventing public corruption also requires an effort from all members of society at large. For these reasons, the Convention calls on countries to promote actively the involvement of non-governmental and community-based organizations, as well as other elements of civil society, and to raise public awareness of corruption and what can be done about it. Article 5 of the Convention enjoins each State Party to establish and promote effective practices aimed at the prevention of corruption.

Criminalization
The Convention requires countries to establish criminal and other offences to cover a wide range of acts of corruption, if these are not already crimes under domestic law. In some cases, States are legally obliged to establish offences; in other cases, in order to take into account differences in domestic law, they are required to consider doing so. The Convention goes beyond previous instruments of this kind, criminalizing not only basic forms of corruption such as bribery and the embezzlement of public funds, but also trading in influence and the concealment and laundering of the proceeds of corruption. Offences committed in support of corruption, including money-laundering and obstructing justice, are also dealt with. Convention offences also deal with the problematic areas of private-sector corruption.

International Cooperation
Countries agreed to cooperate with one another in every aspect of the fight against corruption, including prevention, investigation, and the prosecution of offenders. Countries are bound by the Convention to render specific forms of mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court, to extradite offenders. Countries are also required to undertake measures that will support the tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption.

Asset Recovery
In a major breakthrough, countries agreed on asset-recovery, which is stated explicitly as a fundamental principle of the Convention. This is a particularly important issue for many developing countries where high-level corruption has plundered the national wealth, and where resources are badly needed for reconstruction and the rehabilitation of societies under new governments. Reaching agreement on this chapter has involved intensive negotiations, as the needs of countries seeking the illicit assets had to be reconciled with the legal and procedural safeguards of the countries whose assistance is sought.

Article 51 provides for the return of assets to countries of origin as a fundamental principle of this Convention. Article 43 obliges State parties to extend the widest possible cooperation to each other in the investigation and prosecution of offences defined in the Convention. With regard to asset recovery in particular, the article provides inter alia that "In matters of international cooperation, whenever dual criminality is considered a requirement, it shall be deemed fulfilled irrespective of whether the laws of the requested State Party place the offence within the same category of offence or denominate the offence by the same terminology as the requesting State Party, if the conduct underlying the offence for which assistance is sought is a criminal offence under the laws of both States Parties".

Criminalization and law enforcement
As per the convention, each State Party shall adopt such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish as a criminal offence, when committed intentionally, the promise, offering or giving to a foreign public official or an official of a public international organization, directly or indirectly, of an undue advantage, for the official himself or herself or another person or entity, in order that the official act or refrain from acting in the exercise of his or her official duties, in order to obtain or retain business or other undue advantage in relation to the conduct of international business.

Bribery in the private sector: Each State Party shall consider adopting such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish as criminal offences, when committed intentionally in the course of economic, financial or commercial activities: (a) The promise, offering or giving, directly or indirectly, of an undue advantage to any person who directs or works, in any capacity, for a private sector entity, for the person himself or herself or for another person, in order that he or she, in breach of his or her duties, act or refrain from acting; (b) The solicitation or acceptance, directly or indirectly, of an undue advantage by any person who directs or works, in any capacity, for a private sector entity, for the person himself or herself or for another person, in order that he or she, in breach of his or her duties, act or refrain from acting.

Protection of witnesses, experts and victims: The Convention also provides for appropriate measures in accordance with a State’s domestic legal system and within its means to provide effective protection from potential retaliation or intimidation for witnesses and experts who give testimony concerning offences established in accordance with this Convention and, as appropriate, for their relatives and other persons close to them.

Each State Party also has to take appropriate measures to provide protection against any unjustified treatment for any person who reports in good faith and on reasonable grounds to the competent authorities any facts concerning offences established in accordance with this Convention.

IPL-4 (2011) Winner Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs to become DLF Indian Premiere League champions for the second time in a row at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai at May 28. Bangalore could make only 147 runs in reply of Chennai's huge total of 205 runs. Earlier a record 159-run partnership between openers Murali Vijay (95, 52b, 6 x 6, 4 x 4) and Michael Hussey (63, 54b, 3 x 6, 3 x 4) powered the Chennai Super Kings to 205 for five in 20 overs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

It was the highest partnership for the Super Kings for any wicket in the IPL, but the Super Kings were reined in at the finish with left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind and off-spinner Chris Gayle picking up two wickets apiece in one over.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Super Kings openers put the Royal Challengers attack to the sword with some brilliant batting. Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey complemented each other to make up for an otherwise dismal season that had seen them in just two half-century partnerships until the night of the IPL final.

The home team owed their win to Vijay whose record 159-run stand for the first wicket with Australian Michael Hussey (63) set the platform for a winning total after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat first.

 Opener Murali Vijay cracked 95 runs off just 52 balls to help the defending champions pile up 205-5 before Ravichandran Ashwin removed Bangalore's openers early, ensuring a fine win for the hosts at a packed Chidambaram Stadium.

League-toppers Bangalore, who were seeking their maiden IPL title, folded up at 147-8 off 20 overs.
The home team owed their win to Vijay whose record 159-run stand for the first wicket with Australian Michael Hussey (63) set the platform for a winning total after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat first.

Their stand surpassed the 155-run partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Venkatsai Laxman against Mumbai in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008.

Bangalore's chase was derailed early with off-spinner Ashwin (3-16) getting rid of the dangerous Chris Gayle for a duck in the very first over.

Gayle, who still finished as the highest run-getter with 608 runs from 12 innings, offered an outside edge which was snapped up by Dhoni behind the wickets.

Gayle's dismissal triggered a collapse with Bangalore losing their next six wickets inside 11 overs to be reduced to 70-6, a situation from which they could never really recover.

 Awards of IPL 2011:

Just after the IPL ended with Chennai Super Kings winning the tournament in a row. Some action was held to be in the post match presentation and it was some awards for the great moments we encountered  in IPL 2011. Here are the list of awards :

Golden Player of the tournament award : Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore/West Indies)
Gayle was the undoubtly most entertaining player in this year's format of IPL T20. He came to the team and placed RCB in the top of points table from nowhere they were around. Gayle scored 608 runs and also picked up 8 wickets in 12 matches of IPL 2011.

Most Run-scorer (Orange Cap) : Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore/West Indies)
Chris Gayle came up as the surprised player for every one in this IPL, included in RCB side after 6th match. Chris Gayle made 511 runs in 9 group-stage matches and 608 runs in total 12 matches (including 3 play-off matches).

Most-Wicket Taker (Purple Cap) : Lasith Malinga (Mmbai Indians/ Sri Lanka)
Malinga took 27 wickets in 14 group-stage matches and total of 28 wickets in 16 matches including 2 play-off matches. Malinga was really unplayable and had best average as well as economy rate in his IPL.

The rising star award : Iqbal Abdulla (Kolkata Knight Riders / India)
The man from small-town from Inia really impressed the people around him with his slow-left arm orthodox bowling. The 21 years old youngster picked-up 16 wickets at the economy of 6.1 in 15 matches.

Best Individual Performance : Paul Valthaty (Kings XI Punjab / India)
Paul Valthaty scored 120* off 63 balls when they were chasing the score of 189 runs in the match against the Chennai Super Kings.

Karbonn Kamaal Catcher of the tournament : Keiron Pollard (Mumbai Indians / West Indies)

World Bank Report 2010

The World Bank classifies countries into four income groups. These are set each year on July 1. Economies were divided according to 2010 GNI per capita using the following ranges of income:

• Low income countries had GNI per capita of US$975 or less.
• Lower middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$976 and US$3,855.
• Upper middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$3,856 and US$11,905.
• High income countries had GNI above US$11,906.

2012-12 declared as Year of Science in India

The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, urged Indian scientists to "think big, think out of the box, think ahead of the times" during his opening address at the 98th Indian Science Congress in Chennai . Singh said that as the Indian Science Congress moves towards its 100th year, in 2013, the Indian government plans to designate 2012–13 as the year of science in India.

Countries Independence Days

January

Camaroon - January 1
Haiti - January 1
Western Samoa - January 1
Sudan - January 1
Burma - January 4
Chad - January 11
Australia - January 26
Nauru - January 31

February

Ceylon/Sri Lanka - February 4
New Zealand - February 6
Grenada - February 7
Iran - February 11
Gambia - February 18
Saint Lucia - February 22
Dominican Republic - February 27

March

Wales - March 1
Morocco - March 3
Mauritius - March 12
Ireland - March 17
Liechtenstein - March 19
Pakistan - March 23
Greece - March 25
Bangladesh - March 26

April

Hungary - April 4
Senegal - April 4
Denmark - April 16
Syria - April 17
Zimbabwe - April 18
Austria - April 27
Sierra Leone - April 27
Togo - April 27
Japan - April 29
The Netherlands - April 30
Israel - April or May

May

Czechoslovakia - May 9
Laos - May 11
Paraguay - May 14
Israel - May 15
Norway - May 17
Cuba - May 20
Argentina - May 25
Jordan - May 25
Guyana - May 26

June

Tunisia - June 1
Italy - June 2
Seychelles - June 5
Sweden - June 6
Portugal - June 10
Philippines - Independence Day June 12
Iceland - June 17
Kuwait - June 19
Luxembourg - June 23
Croatia - June 25
Mozambique - June 25
Madagascar - June 26
Djibouti - June 27
Republic of Congo - June 30
Zaire - June 30

July
Burundi - July 1
Canada - July 1
Rwanda - July 1
Somalia - July 1
United States of America - July 4
Venezuela - July 5
Malawi - July 6
Argentina - July 9
Bahamas - July 10
Mongolia - July 11
Sao Tome and Principe - July 12
France - July 14
Iraq - July 14
South Korea - July 17
Colombia - July 20
Belgium - July 21
Poland - July 22
Egypt - July 23
Ethiopia - July 23
Liberia - July 26
Maldive Islands - July 26
Peru - July 28

August

Dahomey - August 1
Switzerland - August 1
Upper Volta - August 5
Bolivia - August 6
Jamaica - First Monday in August
Ivory Coast - August 7
Singapore - August 9
Ecuador - August 10
Pakistan - August 14
Republic of Congo - August 15
India - August 15
Cyprus - August 16
Gabon - August 17
Indonesia - August 17
Afghanistan - August 18
Rumania - August 23
Uruguay - August 25
Trinidad and Tobago - August 31
Malaysia - August 31

September

Libya - September 1
Vietnam - September 2
Qatar - September 3
San Marino - September 3
Swaziland - September 6
Brazil - September 7
Andorra - September 8
North Korea - September 9
Bulgaria - September 9
Costa Rica - September 15
El Salvador - September 15
Guatemala - September 15
Honduras - September 15
Nicaragua - September 15
Mexico - September 16
Papua New Guinea - September 16
Chile - September 18
Belize - September 21
Malta - September 21
Mali - September 22
Saudi Arabia - September 23
Yemen - September 26
Botswana - September 30

October

People's Republic of China - October 1-2
Nigeria - October 1
Guinea - October 2
Lesotho October 4
Fiji - October 7
Germany - October 3 1990
Uganda - October 9
Republic of China/Taiwan - October 10
Spain - October 12
Zambia - October 24
Iran - October 26
South Vietnam - October 26
St Vincent and Grenadines - October 27
Turkey - October 29

November

Algeria - November 1
Panama - November 3
Dominica - November 3
Soviet Union - November 7
Cambodia - November 9
Angola - November 11
Rhodesia - November 11
Saudi Arabia - November 12
Comoros - November 12
Monaco - November 19
Lebanon - November 22
Suriname - November 25
Albania - November 28
Mauritania - November 28
Southern Yemen - November 29
Yugoslavia - November 29-30
Barbados - November 30

December

Central African Republic - December 1
Thailand - December 5
Finland - December 6
Tanzania - December 9
Upper Volta - December 11
Kenya - December 12
Niger - December 18
Nepal - December 21

Mondays to be observed as ‘Grievance-Redressal Day'

The government hereafter will observe every Monday as ‘Grievance-Redressal Day' when the administration down to mandal-level will attend to complaints and petitions and provide solutions by on-the-spot decisions.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Ministers and senior officials make themselves available in the Secretariat on that day whereas district Collectors and Mandal Revenue officers will do the same at the Collectorates and MRO offices.

Rachel Chatterjee is APPSC new Chairperson

Rachel Chatterjee, retired IAS officer, has been appointed chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC). The government issued orders to this effect on May 27 making her the first woman to be appointed to the prestigious post. The APPSC did not have a long-term chairman after the retirement of Y. Venkatarami Reddy in February. Ms. Chatterjee, who retired in the rank of Special Chief Secretary, Agriculture, in December, 2010, on attaining superannuation, was empanelled for posting as Secretary in Government of India in July 2008. The Government gave priority to fill the post as the important Group I and Group II examinations were slated in the next four months. Ms. Chatterjee who made a mark in various posts she held , served as Special Officer and Commissioner of MCH, Principal Secretary of the Medical and Health Department, CMD of APTransco among other posts.