IAS Current Affairs is more tended towards the Current Affairs Analysis and their Backgrounders. The current event is only the tip of the iceberg and the UPSC Civil Services Exam asks about the background of that event. The Political, Economical and the Sociological dimensions of the current affairs are also important for the IAS Exam. These Current Affairs questions are framed keeping in view the pattern of IAS Exam.
1. Who among the following has been appointed in one-man committee to study issues related to Gramin Dak Sevaks including wage structure and service conditions?
a. AK Mathur
b. Vijay Kelkar
c. Kamlesh Chandra
d. T Q Mohammad
Answer: c
Explanation:
Department of Posts on 1 January 2016 formed a one-man committee to study issues related to Gramin Dak Sevaks including wage structure and service conditions.
The panel will be headed by Kamlesh Chandra, a retired member of the Postal Services Board, which will be assisted by T Q Mohammad, a senior administrative grade officer, as the secretary.
2. Which of the following schemes launched by the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation?
a. Grahak Vishwas Yojana
b. MUDRA Yojana
c. Ganga Gram Yojana
d. SAFAL Bharat Yojana
Answer: c
Explanation:
The Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti on 5 January 2016 launched Ganga Gram Yojana at Village Puth in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Under the scheme, 1600 villages of UP situated along the banks of river Ganga will be developed. In the first phase of the progamme, 200 villages have been selected initially in which open drains falling into river Ganga will be diverted and alternative arrangements for sewage treatment will be made.
IAS Prelims 2016 Test Series: Current Affairs Quiz Set 12 Online Recommended by Experts
3. Which of the following state first to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level in India?
a. Telangana
b. Assam
c. Odisha
d. Andhra Pradesh
Answer: a
Explanation:
Telangana became the first State in India to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level. In this regard, the state in second week of January 2016 introduced a bilingual textbook titled, Towards a World of Equals.
The book was introduced on a pilot basis in engineering colleges affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU-Hyderabad).
4. Which of the following states has been declared as the first in the country to attain the 100 per cent primary education?
a. Karnataka
b. Kerala
c. Maharashtra
d. Andhra Pradesh
Answer: b
Explanation:
Kerala, which is one of the southern coastal states, has been declared as the first state to have 100% primary education in the country. The official declaration will be made by the Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
According to the education minister of Kerala P K Abdu Rabb , “Kerala has become the first state in the country to achieve total primary education. This has been achieved through the primary educational equivalency drive of the state literacy mission- Athulyam. The equivalency programmes have proved a huge success and the ultimate objective is to achieve total Plus-two education in the state.” The declaration of the same will be made by the vice-president at a function in Kerala University Senate Hall.
The second phase of the Athulyam project was carried out in the state as part of the Mission 676 of the government, which was initiated to mark its third anniversary. Under the programme the candidates who have not been able to undergo primary education and failed in the primary classes, have been given another chance to achieve educational qualification equivalent to fourth standard. Under the programme people from 15 to 50 years took part and were identified through family registries prepared by the anganwadis under the social justice department and ward-level surveys carried out by instructors in continuing education programmes.
5. What was the purpose of the Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process held in Islamabad this year January?
a. Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process held in Islamabad this year January?
b. to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government.
c. to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the Pakistan and Afghanistan's government.
d. to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the USA and Afghanistan's government.
e. to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the India and Afghanistan's government.
Answer: a
Explanation:
Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process was held in Islamabad on 11 January 2016. The purpose of the conference was to explore ways to create consensus for talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government.
The conference was participated representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US. The group will again meet in Kabul on 18 January 2016 to hold discussions on a roadmap.
The joint statement released after the discussions emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between the representatives of the Afghanistan government and representatives from Taliban groups. The talks for peace process aims at preserving Afghanistan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The four-nation group was set up in 2015 to expedite the process of reconciliation in the war-torn country after decades of bloodshed. The first round was held in July 2015 but the process was suspended in the same month after news of Taliban Chief Mullah Omar's death was announced.
6. According to the UN survey on international migrant trends, which of the following country has the highest Diaspora population in 2015?
a. China
b. Russia
c. India
d. Saudi Arabia
Answer: c
Explanation:
The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has released the dataset titled Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 Revision. The compilation was released at the UN DESA headquarters in New York, the USA. The dataset analysed trends in migration flows across the world, even country as well as region wise, between 2000 and 2015.
As per it, the number of international migrants, persons living in a country other than where they were born, reached 244 million in 2015 for the world as a whole, a 41 per cent increase compared to 2000. And, India has the largest diaspora in the world in 2015 as 16 million people from India were living outside of their country.
7. What is the name of 15th edition of bilateral exercise between Indian Coast Guard and Japan which held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu this year?
a. Sahyog-Kaijin
b. Sahyog-Keisatsu
c. Sahyog-Path
d. Sahyog-Tofugu
Answer: a
Explanation:
The Coast Guards of India and Japan on 15 January 2016 conducted their 15th joint exercise off the coast of Chennai. India’s Coast Guard vessel Samudra Pehredar and the Japanese vessel Echigo were berthed at Chennai Port for the bilateral training called Sahyog-Kaijin 2016.
The highlight of the joint exercise was anti-piracy. However, search and rescue operations and interoperability between the two forces was also given emphasis. The exercise also involved Indian coast guard ships like Rajkamal, Vishwast, Rajtarang, Hovercraft, C-415, C-417, one Dornier and one Chetak helicopter.
IAS Prelims Exam 2016 Current Afairs Quiz set 2
8. Which of the following region of the world declared as Ebola free by the World Health Organisation?
a. South Asia
b. West Asia
c. North America
d. West Africa
Answer: b
Explanation:
The end of Ebola transmission in Guinea marks an important milestone in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The original chain of transmission started two years ago in Gueckedou, Guinea in late December 2013.
The outbreak later spread to neighbouring countries Liberia and Sierra Leone and ultimately travelled to seven other countries. The total number of people infected with Ebola eventually totalled more than 28000. And the number of people who died from the disease reached more than 11200.
In addition to the original chain of transmission, there have been 10 new small Ebola outbreaks between March and November 2015. These appear to have been due to the re-emergence of a persistent virus from the survivor population.
9. According to the report of which of the following organisation, India saved 1 billion USD by using Aadhaar?
a. Reserve Bank of India
b. International Monetary Fund
c. World Bank
d. World Economic Forum
Answer: c
Explanation:
The World Bank report states that India saved around 1 billion USD by transferring fuel subsidy directly to user's bank account with the help of Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The direct transfer has reduced the loss of money through middlemen and agencies taking a toll on the transfer. The plan also helped to reduce leakage and improved efficient gains.
The World Bank report also pointed out that the government can save up to 11 billion USD if it expands the DBT to other subsidy facilities. The report was put forward in the World Bank publication, World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends, which was recently released in Washington DC, USA.
10. As per the World Bank Development Report which of the following has the highest ‘offline population’ (people without regular access to Internet)?
a. India
b. China
c. USA
d. Pakistan
Answer: a
Explanation:
According to the report, access to internet is an indication of development around the world. India has the highest 'offline population' (people without regular access to Internet) with around 1.063 billion, followed by China with 755 million people without internet access.
Ironically, India is also among the top five countries with the largest number of people having regular access to the internet. China has the highest number of net users, followed by USA, India, Japan and Brazil.
11. Which of the following state has been declared as the fist organic farming state of India?
a. Goa
b. Sikkim
c. Telangana
d. Kerala
Answer: b
Explanation:
Sikkim has been declared as the first organic farming state of India. The declaration was made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 in Gangtok, Sikkim.
Besides making the declaration, the Prime Minister also handed over the Organic Certificate to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. On this occasion, he also launched three new orchid species developed in Sikkim. The new species are:
- Cymbidium Sardar (after Sardar Patel)
- Cymbidium Deen Dayal (after Deen Dayal Upaddhyay)
- Cymbidium Namo (after Narendra Modi)
Current Affairs is essential to study for UPSC IAS Prelims as well as for IAS Mains Exam. The weightage of Current Affairs, as you can see in the UPSC IAS Prelims Question Papers, large number of questions are associated directly or indirectly with the current events. So, it is very important to study the Current Affairs in order to qualify IAS Prelims Exam. Here, we have provided Multiple Choice Questions with explanation for UPSC IAS Prelims Exam 2016
