Tuesday 19 June 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS –MARCH 2012.


CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS –MARCH 2012.

  1. Name of the world's oldest operating nuclear power station, which stopped producing electricity on 29-02-2012 after 44 years of generation?
Oldbury.
Oldbury nuclear power station is a closed nuclear power station located on the south bank of the River Severn close to the village of Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire, England. It was operated by Magnox Limited on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Both of the station's reactors were scheduled to be turned off in 2008, but had their operational life extended. Reactor two was turned off in 2011 and reactor one was finally shut down at 11:00 on 29-02-2012

  1. Which Indian city will host the first women's World Cup Kabaddi tournament which is to be held in March-2012?
Patna, Bihar.

  1. The 2012 ASBC Asian Confederation Women's Boxing Championship held in?
Mongolia.
The Championship, which will be held from 16th to 26th March in Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia.

  1. Who is appointed as the chairman of the monitoring body to look into the case of 22 alleged fake encounter killings in Gujarat between 2002 and 2006?
Justice H S Bedi.
The Supreme Court of India on March 2, 2012 appointed its former judge, Justice H S Bedi as the chairman of the monitoring authority and the monitoring authority will submit its interim report within three months.

  1. Twenty Five European Union Nations signed a new European Union/ euro zone fiscal pact for stricter budget discipline on March 2, 2012 during an EU Summit in Brussels. Two countries refused to sign that agreement. Name that countries?
            Britain and the Czech Republic.

  1. Who is appointed as the new coach of Pakistan cricket team?
Dav Whatmore
Former Australian batsman Whatmore signed two-year contract with Pakistan Cricket Board to become Pakistan’s new cricket coach. He coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and also helped Bangladesh reach the second round in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.


  1. Who is appointed as the new Army Chief of India?
Lt General Bikram Singh
Prior to his appointment as Army Chief, General Bikram was commanding the Kolkata-based Eastern Army Command.

  1. Which pair won the Men’s doubles title of Dubai Open Tennis-2012 held on 3 March 2012?
Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna.
The Indian pair defeated Polish pair of Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the final.

  1. Noted lawyer who was appointed as the President of Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), at the annual meet of the organization held in Delhi?
Lalit Bhasin.
IPBA is an international association of business and commercial lawyers who live in, or otherwise have a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific Region. It was established in April 1991 at an organizing conference held in Tokyo attended by more than 500 lawyers from countries within the Asia-Pacific Region.

  1. World’s Largest Hindu Temple is proposed to be built in which Indian State?
Bihar.
The Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust (BMMT) is going to build a bigger temple in Bihar’s Vaishali district by replicating the world largest Hindu temple in Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. The Hindu temple will be built at a cost of Rs 100 crores, the five-storied and 222-feet tall temple will come up at a sprawling campus spread over 15 acres at a place near Ismailpur village on Hajipur-Bidupur road, which will be christened as Angkor Nagar. The Angkor Wat temple was built in Cambodia in the 12th century during the rule of the Cambodian king Suryavarman (1141-1152 AD).

  1. Who won the Man of the match award in the third ODI cricket played between New Zealand and South Africa held in New Zealand on March 3, 2012?
Marchant de Lange. (South Africa). He took 4 wickets conceding 46 runs.
Result: South Africa beat New Zealand by 5 wickets.
Series Status: South Africa wins the 3 ODI series 3-0.

  1. Man of the match winners of 3  Test Cricket series played between South Africa and New Zealand held in New Zealand in March 2012:
First test match between South Africa and New Zealand held in Dunedin from March 7-11, 2012:
Player of the Match: Graeme Smith (South Africa). He scored 53 in first innings and 115 runs in second innings.
Result: New Zealand drew with South Africa

Second test match between South Africa and New Zealand held in Hamilton from March 15-19, 2012:
Player of the Match: Vernon Philander (South Africa). He took 4 wickets in first innings and 6 wickets in second innings.
Result: South Africa beat New Zealand by 9 wickets.

Third test match between South Africa and New Zealand held in Wellington from March 23-27, 2012:
Player of the Match: Morne Morkel (South Africa). He took 6 wickets in second innings.
Result: New Zealand drew with South Africa.
Series Result: South Africa wins the 3 Test series 1-0.

  1. Who won the Dubai Open tennis title -2012 defeating Andy Murray in the final?
Roger Federer.
Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer won the Dubai Open ATP for the fifth time.

  1. Which country won the first women's Kabaddi World Cup championship title, defeating Iran 25-19 in the final match held at Patlipura sports complex at Kankerbagh in Patna?
India.

  1. Name of  the 290-km range supersonic cruise missile which was successfully test fired by an Indian Army unit on 4 March 2012 at the Pokharan range in Jaisalmer to operationalise the second regiment of the weapon system in the Indian Army?
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

  1. On March 4, 2012, an Asian country released its 2012 defense budget, which is set to hit 670 billion yuan ($106.4 billion) – an 11.2% increase over last year’s defense expenditure. Which is that country?
            China  
As a result, China is only the second country, after the US, to have a defence budget of over $100 billion, well ahead of third-placed France, which spent $61.2 billion in 2011.

  1. Name of the unique temple in Agra which is dedicated to freedom fighters and social workers of India?
‘Rashtra Mandir’
The Rashtra Mandir is a temple in the name of people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Annie Besant and Bhagat Singh. The temple was inaugurated on March 4, 2012 by Indian Army chief General VK Singh.

  1. West Indies batsman who has been killed in a car crash in Trinidad on March 4, 2012?
Runako Morton.
He played 15 Tests and 56 one-day internationals for the West Indies. His last match for West Indies was a Twenty20 against Australia in January 2010.

  1. Who won the Delray Beach International Tennis Championship-2012?
Kevin Anderson.
He beat Marinko Matosevic in the final. He is the first South African to win this 20-year-old tournament.

  1. Man of the match winners of Tri nation Cricket series( India, Sri Lanka and Australia) held in Australia in March 2012:

Sri Lanka Vs Australia held in Melbourne on March 2, 2012:
Man of the match: Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka). He scored 75 runs.
Result: Sri Lanka beat Australia by 9 runs.

First final between Australia and Sri Lanka held in Brisbane on March 4, 2012:
Man of the match: David Warner (Australia). He scored 163 runs.
Result: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 15 runs.

Second final between Australia and Sri Lanka held in Adelaide on March 6, 2012:
Man of the match: Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka). He scored 106 runs and took 1 wicket.
Result: Sri Lanka beat Australia by 8 wickets.

Third final between Australia and Sri Lanka held in Adelaide on March 8, 2012:
Man of the match: Clint McKay (Australia). He scored 28 runs and took 5 wickets.
Result: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs.

  1. Who won the Player of the series award in the Tri nation Cricket series (India, Sri Lanka and Australia) held in Australia in 2012?
Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka).

  1. Election results of Uttar Pradesh,  Manipur, Goa,  Punjab and Uttarakhand:
 Uttar Pradesh:
Total Seats: 403
Results Declared: 403.
Samajwadi Parti: 226
Bahujan Samaj Party: 80
Bharatiya Janata Party: 47
Congress+:38
Others: 12

Manipur:
Total Seats: 60
Results Declared: 60
Congress: 42
All India Trinamool Congress: 7
Naga Peoples Front: 4
Others: 7


Goa:
Total Seats: 40
Results Declared: 40
Bharatiya Janata Party: 21
Congress: 9
Others: 10

Punjab:
Total Seats: 117
Results Declared: 117
Shiromani Akali Dal: 56
Bharatiya Janata Party: 12
Congress: 46
Others: 3

Uttarakhand:
Total Seats: 70
Results Declared: 70
Bahujan Samaj Party: 3
Bharatiya Janata Party: 31
Congress: 32
Others: 4

  1. Who became only the second player after Neil Johnson (v Pakistan in 1998) to open both the batting and bowling, bowl ten overs and score a century?
Tillakaratne Dilshan. (Sri Lanka)
Neil Johnson did the same against Pakistan at Sheikhupura Stadium on November 22, 1998, taking two for 51 and scoring 103 runs off 120 balls.

24.  complete list of winners of National Film Awards 2011 (WINNERS OF 59TH NATIONAL FILM AWARDS)

59th National Film Awards/ National Film Awards 2011 declared on March 7, 2012 by the Information and Broadcast Minister Ambika Soni. The Best Film Award has been shared by the Kannada film ‘Byaari’ and Marathi film ‘Deool’. Girish Kulkarni bagged the Best Actor award for the movie ‘Deool’ while Vidya Balan has been adjudged the Best Actress for her performance in the film ‘the Dirty Picture’. To know the complete list of winners of National Film Awards-2011, please visit the below link

http://onlineindya.blogspot.in/2012/03/59th-national-film-awardsnational-film.html
  1. Renowned Indian music director, who had composed music for several Hindi and Malayalam films, died on 7 March 2012 in Mumbai?
Bombay Ravi.
His original name is Ravi Shankar Sharma and he started his music journey by singing 'Vande Matharam' in Anand Math. His journey as music director started with Vachan (1954).He had won the national award for music in Sukrutham and Parinayam (Malayalam movies). He was introduced in Malayalam through Panchagni (1986) by director Hariharan. His other popular Malayalam movies are   Nakhakshathangal (1986), Vaishali (1988),Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989),   Vidhyarambham (1990), Sargam (1992), Sukrutham (1992), Ghazal (1993),   Padheyam (1993) and  Parinayam (1994).

  1. Name of the Singapore-flagged ship, which had hit a fishing boat (named Don-1) on March 1 off the Kerala coast, killing three fishermen?
MV Prabhu Daya.

  1. A senior official with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) who is chosen as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012?
Binoy Job.
The World Economic Forum has selected him as one of its 'Young Global Leaders' this year. He is currently Director (Media and Communications) in the Prime Minister's Office, India. A career Journalist and a Serial Social Innovator, he was inducted in Prime Minister's Office in the second term of Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2009.

  1. Business tycoon who becomes the world's richest Indian according to Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people?
Mukesh Ambani.

  1. Which will be the first and only air charter and helicopter service provider to operate out of Kerala?
         'Joy Jets'.
 The Joy Alukkas group announced the launch of the state’s first chartered luxury aviation and helicopter services named ‘Joy Jets’.

  1. Senior Indian Diplomat who has been ordered by New York Magistrate Judge Frank Maas to pay $1.46 million for abusing her domestic maid Shanti Gurung (also an Indian)?
Neena Malhotra.
She and her husband Jogesh Malhotra have been ordered to pay $1.46 million for abusing their maid. Neena Malhotra is an Indian Foreign Service officer who served as a Press and Culture Counselor at the Indian Consulate in New York City from 2006-2009.

  1. Prolific Indian batsman who has announced his retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket on March 9, 2012?
Rahul Dravid
Dravid, who made his debut at Lord's in 1996, scoring 95.He scored 13,288 Test runs - behind only Tendulkar - in 164 matches, with 36 hundreds at an average of 52.31. His ODI career, which effectively ended in 2008, yielded more than 10,000 runs and 12 centuries. He also has 210 catches, a Test record, in addition to 196 catches in ODIs.

  1. Veteran Bollywood actor who acted in films like "Love in Simla", died at the age of 73 on 9 March 2012 in Mumbai?
Joy Mukherjee
Joy debuted opposite Sadhana in the film Love in Simla (1960) directed by R.K. Nayyar. After Love in Simla, he paired with Asha Parekh for several hits like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Love in Tokyo and Ziddi. He produced and directed ‘Humsaaya’ although neither that film nor his subsequent films as producer or director did well.

  1. Man of the match winners of each match of Asia Cup Cricket 2012 held in Bangladesh in March 2012:

First match between Pakistan and Bangladesh played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 11 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan). He scored 89 runs and took 2 wickets.
      Result: Pakistan won by 21 runs.

Second match between Sri Lanka and India played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 13 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (India). He scored 108 runs.
      Result: India won by 50 runs.

Third match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 15 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Aizaz Cheema (Pakistan).He took 4 wickets.
      Result: Pakistan won by 6 wickets.

Fourth match between India and Bangladesh played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 16 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).He scored 49 runs.
      Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets.

Fifth match between India and Pakistan played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 18 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (India). He scored 183 runs.
      Result: India won by 6 wickets.

Sixth match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 20 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).He scored 56 runs and took 2 wickets.
      Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets.
Seventh match (Final of Asia cup 2012) between Bangladesh and Pakistan played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 22 March 2012:
Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan).He scored 32 runs and took one wicket.
      Result Pakistan won by 2 runs.

  1. Which country won the Asia cup Cricket 2012 held in Bangladesh?
Pakistan.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in the final.

  1. Who won the Player of the series award in the Asia Cup cricket 2012 held in Bangladesh?
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).

  1. The 26th Federation Cup National Basketball Championship for Men and Women is held at?
Cochin, Kerala.
The championship is held at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Cochin (Kerala) from 14th-18th March, 2012. It is conducted by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Kerala State Basketball Association. 

  1. Renowned Carnatic musician who has been chosen for this year's (2012) 'Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram' of the Kerala government?
       M Balamuralikrishna.
       The award carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh, a memento and citation.

  1. Who won the All England Open Badminton Title 2012?
       Lin Dan.
He won a record fifth All England Open badminton title in anticlimactic fashion when defending champion Lee Chong Wei retired with a shoulder injury in the final.

  1. Which team won the 2012 Vijay Hazare Trophy?
Bengal.
Bengal defeated Mumbai in the final which was held at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi on 12/3/2012, in the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the (Ranji One Day Trophy) was started in 2002-03 as a limited-over domestic competition involving state teams from the Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the famous Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.

  1. A former member of an elite Guatemalan military force who has been sentenced to 6,060 years in prison for his role in the killings of 201 people in a 1982 massacre?
 
Pedro Pimentel Rios.
He is a former instructor at a Guatemalan training school for an elite military force known as the ‘kaibiles’. In August, 2011, four former officers from the Guatemalan Special Forces (Kaibiles) were sentenced to 6,060 years in prison each for their involvement in the Dos Erres Massacre. Guatemala's civil war claimed at least 200,000 lives before it ended in 1996.

  1. Who has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand?
Vijay Bahuguna.

  1. President of the Brazilian football confederation for the past 22 years who resigned from the post on March 12, 2012 following a spate of corruption allegations?
Ricardo Teixeira.
He also stepped down as head of the country’s organizing panel for the 2014 World Cup.

  1. key highlights of the Union Budget 2012-13:

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the 81st budget in the history of independent India.
            Key Features of Budget 2012-2013:
1.   Tax burden for individuals to come down: Income tax exemption limit raised from Rs. 1, 80,000 to Rs. 2, 00,000; 10 per cent tax for 2-5 lakh income; 20 per cent for 5-10 lakh and 30 per cent beyond Rs. 10 lakh; Savings bank account interest up to Rs. 10,000 exempted from tax.
2.   No change in corporate tax rate, but standard rate of excise duty, as also service tax rates, raised from 10 per cent to 12 per cent.
3.   Securities Transaction Tax on cash delivery reduced by 25 per cent to 0.1 per cent.
4.   Rs. 15,888 crore to be provided for capitalisation of public sector banks and financial institutions.
5.   Taxation of unexplained money, credits, investments, expenses at highest rate of 30 per cent irrespective of income slab.

            Financial Highlights of Budget 2012-13:
1.   Fiscal deficit targeted at 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2012-13, down from 5.9 per cent in 2011-12; Central Government debt at 45.5 per cent of GDP.
2.  Total expenditure budgeted at Rs. 14, 90,925 crore; plan expenditure at Rs. 5, 21,025 crore, 18 per cent higher than 2011-12 budget; non-plan expenditure at Rs. 9, 69,900 crore.
3.   Gross Tax Receipts estimated at Rs. 10, 77,612 crore, 15.6 per cent higher than original budget estimates and 19.5 per cent over the revised estimates for 2011-12.
4.  Total expenditure for 2012-13 budgeted at Rs. 14, 90,925 crore, including Rs. 5, 21,025 crore of Plan Expenditure and Rs. 9, 69,900 crore as Non-Plan Expenditure.
5. Defence services get Rs. 1, 93,407 crore; any further requirement to be met.

  1. Who is sworn in as the 33rd chief minister of Uttar Pradesh?
Akhilesh Yadav.
He is the son of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. He took over as the youngest chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
  1. The World Bank has recently announced $ 4.3 billion financial aid to an Asian country through a new innovative and flexible financing arrangement to help the country fight poverty. Which is that country?
India.

  1. Which country won the Asian Football Confederation (AF) Under-13 Girls’ Football Championship held in Colombo in March 2012?
India.
Iran won the runners-up trophy while hosts Sri Lanka were placed third overall.

  1. Who created history by becoming the first cricketer to score 100 centuries in the international cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin achieved this milestone in the match against Bangladesh in Asia Cup. This was his 49th hundred in one day international and first against Bangladesh. After Ricky Ponting he is the second batsman to score centuries in Test and ODIs against all test playing nations.

  1. Who is unanimously re-elected as the Sarkaryawah (general secretary) of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) for the next three years?
Suresh alias Bhaiyyaji Joshi.

  1. Which club won the IFA Shield 2011-12 by defeating Prayag United in the finals held in the Salt Lake Stadium?
East Bengal.
East Bengal clinched a record 28th IFA Shield title with a 4-2 win against Prayag United Sports Club in the penalty shootout in the 116th edition of the tournament. The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. It is the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world (Started in 1893) after the English and Scottish FA cup's and the Durand Cup. The first Indian club to win this prestigious tournament was Mohun Bagan Athletic Club in 1911 when they beat East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1.

  1. Man of the match winners of 5 ODI Cricket series between West Indies and Australia  held in West Indies in March 2012:
First ODI between West Indies and Australia held in Kingstown on March 16, 2012:
Man of the Match: George Bailey. (Australia). He scored 48 runs.
Result: Australia beat West Indies by 64 runs.

Second ODI between West Indies and Australia held in Kingstown on March 18, 2012:
Man of the Match: Sunil Narine. (West Indies). He took 4 wickets.
Result: West Indies beat Australia by 5 wickets (D/L method).

Third ODI between West Indies and Australia held in Kingstown on March 20, 2012:
Man of the Match: Michael Hussey. (Australia). He scored 67 runs.
Result: Australia tied with West Indies.

Fourth ODI between West Indies and Australia held in St Lucia on March 23, 2012:
Man of the Match: Kieron Pollard. (West Indies). He scored 102 runs and took one wicket.
Result: West Indies beat Australia by 42 runs.

Fifth ODI between West Indies and Australia held in St Lucia on March 23, 2012:
Man of the Match: Darren Sammy. (West Indies). He scored 84 runs.
Result: Australia beat West Indies by 30 runs.
Series Status: 5 ODI series level 2-2.

  1. Who won the player of the series award in the 5 ODI Cricket series played between West Indies and Australia held in West Indies in March 2012?
Kieron Pollard. (West Indies).

  1. Man of the match winners of 2T20 Cricket series played between West Indies and Australia  held in West Indies in March 2012:

First T20 Cricket between West Indies and Australia held in St Lucia on March 27, 2012:
Man of the Match: Shane Watson. (Australia). He scored 69 runs and took 1 wicket.
Result: Australia beat West Indies by 8 wickets

Second T20 Cricket between West Indies and Australia held in Oval on March 30, 2012:
Man of the Match: Dwayne Smith. (West Indies). He scored 63 runs.
Result: West Indies beat Australia by 14 runs.
Series Status: 2 T20 International series level 1-1.

  1. Who won the player of the series award in the 2 T20 Cricket series played between West Indies and Australia held in West Indies in March 2012?
Shane Watson. (Australia).
  1. Samajwadi Party leader who took oath as a Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister for the second time following the fiasco on the first occasion when he had not taken the pledge of secrecy and office as per the Constitutional procedures?
Mohammad Azam Khan.
On March 15, 19 cabinet ministers and 28 minister of states, besides chief minister Akhilesh Yadav took oath. Later, it was found that Khan had not taken the pledge of secrecy and office as per the Constitutional procedures.

  1. Railway Minister, who presented his first railway budget on 14-03-2012, is resigned following extreme opposition from his own party “Trinamool Congress” to his proposal of hiking passenger fares?
Dinesh Trivedi.

  1. Who is sworn in as the new Railway Minister of India on March 20, 2012?
Mukul Roy.

  1. The Supreme Court on March 19, 2012 served notice on an inquiry commission and the Gujarat government, asking their response to a plea for a directive to the commission to summon Chief Minister Narendra Modi for questioning in connection with the 2002 riots. Name of that commission?
Nanavati Commission

  1. Veteran Film actress who won The NTR Award-2010 instituted by the state of Andhra Pradesh?
Sharada
NTR National Film Award is an award instituted in the honor of an Indian Film Actor, director, producer, and a politician, N.T. Rama Rao which carries prize money of Rs. 5 lakh.
Winners of the NTR Award in Previous Years:
1996: Akkineni Nageswara Rao,
1997: Dilip Kumar
1998: Sivaji Ganesan
1999: Lata Mangeshkar
2000: Bhanumathi Rama Krishna
2001: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
002: Dr Rajkumar
2003: Ghattamaneni Krishna
2004: Ilayaraja
2005: Nutan Prasad and Ambareesh
2006: Waheeda Rehman
2007: Dasari Narayana Rao
2008: Jamuna
2009: B. Saroja Devi

  1. Who was selected for Raghupati Venkaiah award for 2010, the highest award of the Andra Pradesh State government in cinema to recognise people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to Telugu film industry?
M. Balaiah.

  1. Which zone won the Deodhar Trophy 2011-12 defeating North Zone in the final by 113 runs?
West Zone.
Deodhar Trophy is a 50-over knockout competition played on an annual basis among the 5 zonal teams - North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone. The competition was introduced in 1973-74 season with South Zone winning the trophy. The trophy is named after Prof. D. B. Deodhar (known as the Grand Old Man of Indian cricket).

  1. The former IPL Commissioner, who has been declared bankrupt in a London court over £65,000 he owed to the Page Group, an international securities and risk assessment company?
Lalit Modi.

  1. Which Indian state celebrated ‘The World Sparrow Day’ on March 20, 2012?
Himachal Pradesh.
Non-governmental organisation ‘Himachal Birds’ celebrated the World Sparrow Day in Himachal Pradesh.

  1. Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censors has banned a Bollywood which is scheduled to be released on March 23, 2012. Which is that film?
Agent Vinod.
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are the leading actors of the film.

  1. Who becomes the world's highest-paid footballer (€33 million a year), followed by David Beckham (€31.5 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo (€29.2 million), according to France Football?
Lionel Messi.
  1. Who have been appointed co-CEO's of Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific?
Gunit Chadha and Alan Cloete

Deutsche Bank AG is a global banking and financial services company with its headquarters in the Deutsche Bank Twin Towers in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany.

  1. Who has been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2011?
Soumitra Chatterjee.
Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee began his film career in 1959 in Satyajit Ray's APUR SANSAR (The World of Apu) opposite Sharmila Tagore.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema given annually by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2010 is won by K.Balachander, a famous director of Tamil film industry.

  1. Who won the prestigious Abel Prize of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters for the year 2012?
Endre Szemeredi.
He is a Hungarian-American mathematician, working in the field of combinatorics and theoretical computer science.

  1. Winners of ‘Telugu Velugulu Awards 2012'.
Dr. Sreepada Pinakapani (music), C. Narayana Reddy (Literature), Vempati Chinna Satyam (Dance), Bapu (painting), Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Veteran Actor), C.R. Rao (statistician), Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna (Carnatic music maestro) and General K.V. Krishna Rao (former Chief of Army Staff)
‘Telugu Velugulu' awards have been introduced in 2012 and would be presented in connection with Ugadi celebrations on March 30.

  1. Goa Tourism Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, known more as a social and environmental activist, who died of cardiac arrest on March 21,2012?
Matanhy Saldanha.

  1. Which team lifted the E.K. Nayanar Gold Cup Football Tournament held in Kerala?
Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR).
They defeated Air-India (Mumbai) 3-2 in the final.

  1. The Third World Telugu Conference will be held in?
Tirupati. 
Previous conferences held at Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur.

  1. Who has been selected for J.C. Daniel Award for 2011?
Jose Prakash.

  1. Journalist who was arrested for his alleged role in the February 13 bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat's car in Delhi?
Syed Mohammad Kazmi.

74.  Emu breeding centre recently opened in which city of India?

Bikaner in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (RAJUVAS) in Bikaner has started an Emu breeding centre at its veterinary college premises. Emu, the second largest bird after the ostrich by height, is found suitable for arid and semi arid Rajasthan.

  1. Former Chairman of Press Trust of India who died on March 24, 2012?
     P.K. Roy.
Roy began his career in journalism with Times of India in 1953. He started the Bombay edition of Sakaal in the 1970s, returned to Kolkata in 1974 and joined the Amrita Bazar Patrika and Jugantar group. He started the Bengali daily Aajkaal in the 1980s and retired as its Editor-in-Chief in 2004.

  1. India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) will set up a new diesel engine plant at?
Gurgaon, Haryana.
Maruti will invest Rs.1, 700 crore to set up a new diesel engine plant at its Gurgaon complex that would become operational by mid-2013.

  1. Who won the $25,000 QNet ITF Open women's tennis championship held at Bangalore?
Donna Vekic.
She defeated Andrea Koch-Benvenuto of Chile in the final.

  1. The inaugural South Asian weightlifting championship held at?
Nepalgunj, Nepal.
Indian lifters have bagged 10 medals, including eight golds.

  1. Who is elected as general secretary of Communist Party of India(CPI)?
Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy.

  1. Who won the World Boxing Council light welterweight title 2012?
Danny Garcia.

  1. Who lifted the women Single Swiss Open-2012 Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament that was held at Basel in Switzerland from 13th to 18th March 2012?
Saina Nehwal.
She defeated Ji Hyun Sung of South Korea in the final.


  1. Who is elected as the president of Germany?
Joachim Gauck.
He is a former Lutheran pastor and human rights activist from communist East Germany.

  1. Who won the Formula One Australian Grand Prix -2012?
Jenson Button.
McLaren driver Jenson Button has won the 2012 Australian Formula 1 title.

  1. Veteran CPI (Communist Party of India) leader and party’s Kerala state secretary and former Lok Sabha member, who died on 22 March 2012, due to cancer?
C. K. Chandrappan.
He was a member of the Lok Sabha representing the Cannanore (Lok Sabha constituency) from 1977 to 1980 and Thrissur (Lok Sabha constituency) from 2004 to 2010. Chandrappan served as Member of the Legislative Assembly of Kerala from 1991 to 1996 representing the Cherthala Assembly Constituency.

  1. Which PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) retained the top position on the coveted list of 10 most profit-making PSUs during 2010-11, according to the Public Enterprises Survey?
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
ONGC, the country's largest oil and gas producer, earned a net profit of Rs 18,924 crore during the fiscal. Air India was the biggest loss-making PSU during 2010-11, according to that survey. Power major NTPC moved to the second rank among the top 10 profit making PSUs, pushing Indian Oil Corporation down to the third position.

  1. President of Mali who is ousted from his post after a military coup on March 22, 2012?
Amadou Toumani Toure.
He was the President of Mali from 2002 to 2012.

  1. Former New Zealand all-rounder who won a libel suit against Lalit Modi in London that left the former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) close to £500,000 (close to Rs 4 cr) in the red?
Chris Cairns.
Cairns was awarded £90,000 damages after Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against him by Modi.

  1. Who became the second-fastest test cricketer to take 50 test wickets?
Vernon Philander.
He achieved this feat in his 7th test. Australia’s Charlie Turner holds the record having achieved his 50th wicket in his sixth Test in 1888.

  1. Who won the Player of the Match award in the first test between Sri Lanka and England held in Sri Lanka in March 2012?
    Rangana Herath. (Sri Lanka). He took 6 wickets in each innings.
Result: Sri Lanka beat England by 75 runs.

  1. 2012 Nuclear Security Summit was held in?
Seoul, South Korea.
The summit held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea, on March 26 and 27, 2012. It was the second edition of the conference after the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit which was held in Washington, D.C., on April 12 and 13, 2010.

  1. Which country has the least email usage according to the Ipsos/Reuters global survey?
Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, where 46 percent of people communicate via email, had the lowest usage, followed by India at 68 percent and Japan at 75 percentage. Email usage was highest in Hungary, where 94 percent of people communicated online.

  1. Name of the supersonic cruise missile successfully test fired by India at the integrated Test Range Chandipur off the Odisha coast on March 28, 2012?
Brahmos.
India successfully test fired the 3rd version of Brahmos supersonic cruise missile which has a flight range of up to 290 km, is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 200 to 300 kg.

  1. Renowned Malayalam scriptwriter, who penned successful films like "Angaadi", "Ee Nadu" and "Avanazhi”, died on March 28, 2012?
T Damodaran.
Damodaran and director I. V. Sasi teamed up to produce many hit movies, including Angadi, Eee Nadu, Vartha, Avanazhi, Inspector Balram, 1921, Adimakal Udamakal, and Balram vs. Taradas. He also teamed up with director Priyadarshan to produce many hit movies including Aryan, Advaitham, Abhimanyu, and Kala Pani.

  1. Who is appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Kerala?
K.Jayakumar.
He is a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Kerala. He is also a popular Malayali poet, lyricist, and scriptwriter. He is the son of noted Malayalam film director M. Krishnan Nair.

  1. Who is the only Indian to win the global You Tube Space Lab science competition from the Asia-Pacific Region?
Sachin Kukke.
He is a first-year mechanical engineering student from BMS College who has been declared one of the six winners of the You Tube Space Lab Competition.

  1. Asia's largest tulip garden on the banks of Dal Lake in Kashmir was thrown open to visitors by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on March 29, 2012. Name of that tulip garden.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden.
It is previously named as Model Floriculture Centre, Sirajbagh, Cheshmashahi, Srinagar. It is the largest Tulip garden of Asia spread over an area of about 12 hectares. It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Hills with an overview of picturesque world famous Dal Lake.

  1. Punjab Minister who is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for forceful adoption and abduction of her own daughter?
Bibi Jagir Kaur.
Kaur, the minister for rural water supply & sanitation and defence services, was sentenced to five years imprisonment by a CBI court in Patila for her role in the mysterious death of her daughter Harpreet Kaur in 2000


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