Weekly Current Affairs Questions and Answers: 12 August to 18 August 2024

This week, we have compiled 10 weekly current affairs questions and answers relevant for government exams, including topics such as Next Home Secretary, new Ramsar sites, New Ambassador of India to the United Nations and others. 

1. Who has been appointed as the new bowling coach of the Indian men's cricket team?

(a) Brett Lee

(b) Dale Steyn

(c) Praveen Kumar

(d) Morne Morkel

 2. Which country will host the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit?

(a) Thailand

(b) India

(c) Malaysia

(d) China

 3. Who has recently been appointed as the next Home Secretary of the country?

(a) Vijay Agnihotri

(b) Ramdas Kamath

(c) Sampooran Singh

(d) Govind Mohan

 4. Who has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to the United Nations?

(a) P Harish

(b) Nipendra Mishra

(c) Rajeev Kumar

(d) Amitabh Kant

 5. How many new Ramsar sites were declared recently in India?

(a) 3

(a) 4

(d) 5

(d) 6

 6. Who has been appointed as the new Enforcement Director of the Enforcement Directorate?

(a) Ravichandran Gandhi

(b) Rahul Naveen

(c) Ajay Kumar

(d) Sukhveer Singh

 7. DRDO successfully tested long range glide bomb, what is it named?

(a) 'GAURAV'

(b) 'PRABAL'

(c) 'ACHOOK'

(d) 'PRAHAR'

 8. Which state government recently declared the ancient monument of the Mesolithic era located in Ratnagiri as a 'protected monument'?    

(a) Karnataka

(b) Maharashtra

(c) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Jharkhand

 9. In which state will the first Global Overseas Women's Kabaddi League be organized?

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Haryana

(c) Punjab

(d) Tamil Nadu

 10. Recently Vinay Mohan Kwatra took charge as India's Ambassador to which country?

(a) France

(b) Russia

(c) Japan

(d) USA

Answer:-

1. (d) Morne Morkel

Former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel has been appointed as the new bowling coach of the Indian men's cricket team. India head coach Gambhir had confirmed the appointment of Abhishek Nair and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches.  

2. (b) India

India will host the 3rd Voice of the Global South Summit.  The theme of the summit this time is a strong global South for a sustainable future. Like the last two summits, the third summit will be held in virtual format and will be organised under Leaders' Session and Ministerial Sessions, the ministry said.

3. (d) Govind Mohan

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect. Govind Mohan will take over as Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, replacing Ajay Kumar Bhalla on completion of his term on August 22, 2024.

4. (a) P Harish

Diplomat Parvathaneni Harish was on August 14 appointed as India's next Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. Presently he is serving as the Ambassador of India to Germany. The post of India's Ambassador or Permanent Representative to the United Nations has been vacant since the retirement of Ruchira Kamboj in June.

5. (a) 3

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav recently said that India has added three more sites to the Ramsar sites network, with this the number of Ramsar sites in India has increased to 85. Njarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh have been added to this list.  

6. (b) Rahul Naveen

The Cabinet Appointments Committee has appointed IRS officer Rahul Naveen as the new Enforcement Director. He has been appointed as Special Director, ED for a period of two years from the date of assuming charge. 57-year-old Naveen joined the ED as Special Director in November 2019.

7. (a) 'GAURAV'

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the first test of Long Range Glide Bomb (LRGB), 'GAURAV' from Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30 Mk-I. Gaurav is an air-launched, 1,000-kg class glide bomb capable of engaging targets at long ranges. It was tested off the coast of Odisha.  

8. (b) Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government recently declared the geoglyphs and petroglyphs in Ratnagiri as 'protected monuments' under the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960. According to a notification from the state culture department, the group of petroglyphs at Deud, Ratnagiri dates back to the Mesolithic era (around 20,000-10,000 years ago).

9. (b) Haryana

With an aim to promote Kabaddi at the global level, the first ever Global Women's Kabaddi League will be held in Haryana in September 2024. It has been named Global Overseas Women's Kabaddi League (GPKL). Women athletes from more than 15 countries will participate in this tournament.  

10. (d) USA

Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra took charge as India's Ambassador to the United States. Kwatra replaced former Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Kwatra has previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office.