Current Affairs Questions and Answers - Dec 20, 2014
Q1. What interest rate has been decided by the Finance Ministry for PF for the financial year 2014-15?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: 8.75%. Ministry has retained the interest rate on PF deposits at 8.75% for this financial year.
Q2. Name the freedom fighter who actively participated in the Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement and passed away on 19th Dec’14?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Chunibhai Vaidya. He is known as Gandhian and freedom fighter.
Q3. Which company has made agreement with Surat City to make it the smart city?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Microsoft Corporation. As a part of this agreement Microsoft would bring innovative and online solutions in civil services and make them more efficient, responsive and people centric.
Q4. Which state has reduced the retirement age of government school teachers from 60 to 58 years?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Sikkim. The state government has amended the existing rule adding that those teachers who have attended the age of 58 years and are still continuing their services shall retire by 31st December this month.
Q5. What are the key points of Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 that was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19th Dec’14?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: The Bill seeks to improve the distribution system by giving choice to the consumer, promotion of renewable energy, maintenance of grid security, rationalisation of tariff determination and strengthening of Regulatory Commissions.
Q6. Name the Bill that was signed by the US President Barack Obama on 18th Dec’14 authorizing more sanctions on Russia for its role in the Ukraine Crisis?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Ukraine Freedom Support Bill 2014. With this, the Bill has now become Ukraine Freedom Support Act, 2014. The Act also authorizes 350 million US dollars in lethal and non-lethal military aid to the Ukrainian government, including anti-Tank weapons, munitions and surveillance drones.
Q7. Who has resigned as Independent Chief Ethic Investigator of Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) Ethics Committee on 18th Dec’14?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Michael Garcia. He resigned from the post in protest over the handling of his 430-page report on awarding the bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Q8. For which bill, the Constitution Amendment Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on 19th Dec’14?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill. Moving the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, Mr. Jaitley said adequate safeguards have been taken in the Bill to maintain the rights of states on taxes.
Q9. Name the Urdu poet who won the Sahitya Akademi Award 2014?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Munawwar Rana. He was born in Rae Bareli in 1952, an accomplished Urdu-Hindi writer and his poetry is appreciated in Mushairas across the world.
Q10. Whose name is proposed by the All India Football Federation for the post of coach of India’s Football Coach?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Ashley Westwood. He has won the vote of confidence from the AIFF and his appointment only needs to be stamped by the technical committee which meets in Mumbai on 21st Dec’14.
Q11. Name the tennis players named as World Champions for 2014?
View Answer / Hide AnswerANSWER: Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams. It is the fourth time that Djokovic has taken the top award after he won Wimbledon, the ATP World Tour finals and finished the year ranked number one in the world by the ATP.
