• There are no WTO definitions of “developed” and “developing” countries.
• WTO allows member countries to classify themselves as “developed” or “developing”.
• However, other members can challenge the decision of a country to be classified as “developing”.
• Only the “least-developed countries” status is designated by the UN.
• (i.e) WTO recognizes as least-developed countries (LDCs) those countries which have been designated as such by the United Nations.

• The Vir Chakra is awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land or at sea or in the air.
• The Medal may be awarded posthumously.

Following categories of persons are eligible for the Vir Chakra:

1. Officers and men and women of all ranks of the Naval, Military and Air Forces, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army, Militia and of any other lawfully constituted Armed Forces.
2. Matrons, Sisters, Nurses and the Staff of the Nursing Services and other Services pertaining to Hospitals and Nursing, and Civilians of either sex serving regularly or temporarily under the orders, directions or supervision of any of the above-mentioned Forces.

• Tricalcium Phosphate is a commonly used bone substitute material from natural sources.

• The basic objective of Foreign Trade Development and Regulation (FTDR) Act 1992 is to provide a frame work for development and regulation of foreign trade by facilitating imports into the country, as well as, taking measures to increase exports from India and any other related matters.
• According to According to the Foreign Trade Act, gift items of a value of up to Rs. 5,000 received from foreign countries to people residing in India are exempted from customs duty.
• Domestic industry players brought to the notice of the Customs Department that several e-commerce companies, especially from China, were delivering orders to their India-resident customers by disguising their products as gifts so as to evade the Customs duty that would normally be applicable on the products.

A parliamentary committee means a committee that:

1. Is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker /Chairman.
2. Works under the direction of the Speaker / Chairman.
3. Presents its report to the House or to the Speaker / Chairman.
4. Has a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha.

The consultative committees, which also consist of members of Parliament, are not parliamentary committees as they do not fulfill above four conditions.

Purse seine fishing

• It is mainly used to catch fish species that swim in large schools near the ocean surface.
• The main species fished with purse seine gear are southern bluefin tuna, Australian sardine, blue mackerel and jack mackerel.

Working

• In a purse seine the top of the net is floated at the ocean’s surface and the bottom of the net has weights attached that pull the walls of the net downwards.
• The bottom of the net has a wire threaded through it which is pulled and tightens the net like a purse trapping the fish inside.
• The net is then pulled in toward the boat and the catch is either pumped or lifted out with small nets or the whole net is brought aboard.
• The size of purse seine nets can be varied, depending on what species is being targeted.
• It is not only depriving traditional fishermen of catch but threatening the marine ecosystem as a whole in the region.

• Varadharaja Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the holy city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
• It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars.

• The ‘Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)’ shall be known by the name Samarth”, signifying the broad objective of the scheme to skill the youth for gainful and sustainable employment in the textile sector.
• Its objective is to provide demand driven, placement oriented National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant skilling programmes to incentivize and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs in the organized textile and related sectors, covering the entire value chain of textile, excluding Spinning and Weaving.

• Iceland, a volcanic island in the middle of the North Atlantic, is in many ways reminiscent of Mars.
• To prepare for the next mission to Mars in 2020, NASA has taken to the lava fields of Iceland to get its new robotic space explorer ready for the job.
• With its black basalt sand, wind-swept dunes and craggy peaks, the Lambahraun lava field at the foot of Iceland's second biggest glacier, Langjokull, was chosen as a stand-in for the Red Planet's surface.