1. Who has been appointed as the new President of ASSOCHAM?
a. Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee
b. Amartya Kumar Sen
c. SP Kothari
d. Vineet Aggarwal
Answer (d) Vineet Aggarwal
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India-ASSOCHAM informed on December 21, 2020, that Vineet Aggarwal, the Managing Director of Logistics major Transport Corporation of India has been appointed as the new President of the industry body.
2. Tso Kar wetland has been recognised as a wetland of international importance. Where is it located?
a. Ladakh
b. J&K
c. Sikkim
d. Uttarakhand
Answer (a) Ladakh
Ladakh’s Tso Kar Wetland Complex has been recognised as a wetland of international importance, becoming India’s 42nd Ramsar site. The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, which comprises two principal waterbodies- Startsapuk Tso and Tso Kar.
3. How many Ramsar sites are situated in India?
a. 42
b. 35
c. 40
d. 39
Answer (a) 42
India now has a total of 42 Ramsar sites with the recognition of Ladakh’s Tso Kar Wetland Complex as a wetland of international importance. This is the second Ramsar site in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
4. India has lost its second retrospective taxation case against which among the following companies?
a. RPC Group
b. Cairn Energy
c. Shanghai Electric Group
d. Brother Industries
Answer (b) Cairn Energy
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague unanimously ruled in favour of Cairn Energy stating that the Indian government failed to uphold its obligations under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty and international laws in seeking tax payments worth Rs 10,250 crore from the company for its business reorganisation.
5. How many people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the US so far?
a. One million
b. Two million
c. Three million
d. Four million
Answer (a) One million
More than one million people have received the first of the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. The US officials expect to distribute almost 10 million doses of the two approved vaccines- Pfizer and Moderna- by the end of this week.
