1) Consider the following statement with respect to ‘Special Protection Group’ (SPG)
Cabinet secretariat of India is the governing body of SPG.
Every member of the Group shall hold office during the pleasure of the President.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The Centre has decided to withdraw Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover to the Gandhi family.
The Special Protection Group (SPG)was raised in 1985 with the intention to provide proximate security cover to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
The Special Protection Group Act, 1988 was constituted to provide regulation of an armed force and so SPG is a statutory body.
The general superintendence, direction and control of the SPG is exercised by the Central Government and Cabinet secretariat acts as the governing body of SPG.
No member of the Group shall be at liberty,
to resign his appointment during the terms of his engagement; or
to withdraw himself from all or any of the duties of his appointment,
except with the previous permission in writing of the prescribed authority.
Every member of the Group shall hold office during the pleasure of the President.
2) Consider the following statements with respect to Maternal mortality ratio (MMR)
It is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy.
SDG sets the global MMR target of less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu only have already met the SDG target.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Recently released ‘Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2015-2017’ of the Sample Registration System states that India registers 26.9% decline in Maternal Mortality Rate since 2013.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births due to causes related to pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, regardless of the site or duration of pregnancy.
SDG 3- Health target states that by 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 live births.
Assam recorded the highest MMR 229 maternal deaths.
Uttar Pradesh (216), Madhya Pradesh (188), Rajasthan (186), Odisha (168), Bihar (165) and Chhattisgarh (141) follows the list.
Kerala has the lowest MMR, at 42. It is followed by Maharashtra (55), Tamil Nadu (63). They have already met the SDG target of 70 per 100,000 MMR,
Andhra Pradesh (74), Jharkhand (76) and Telangana (76) are within striking distance.
3) Consider the following statements with respect to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
Section 7A of the OCI card rules states that an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.
OCI does not confer political rights.
They are exempted from registering with Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) no matter how long their stay.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Recently government has revoked author Aatish Taseer’s Overseas Citizen of India card.
According to Section 7A of the OCI card rules, an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh.
OCI is not to be misconstrued as 'dual citizenship'. OCI does not confer political rights.
OCI cardholders can enter India multiple times, get a multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India.
They are exempt from registering with Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) no matter how long their stay.
If an individual is registered as an OCI for a period of five years, he/she are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to Cloud seeding technology
It is a kind of a weather modification technology to create new clouds.
It induce moisture in the clouds so as to cause a rainfall.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Recently, Haryana Deputy CM has written to PM requesting him to undertake cloud seeding plan to combat the air pollution engulfing Delhi and NCR.
Cloud seeding is a kind of a weather modification technology to create artificial ‘rainfall’.
It works only when there is enough pre-existing clouds in the atmosphere.
It is an artificial way to induce moisture in the clouds so as to cause a rainfall. It does not create new clouds.
In this process, either silver iodide or dry ice is dumped onto the clouds by using an aircraft or an artillery gun which leads to a rain shower.
5) Consider the following statements with respect to Ozone
It is found only in the stratosphere.
The Cartagena Protocol is the landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS).
Ozone depletion is not limited to the area over the South Pole.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
It has been reported that the annual ozone hole over the Antarctic has been found to be at its smallest since the 1980s.
Ozone (chemically, a molecule of three oxygen atoms) is found mainly in the upper atmosphere, an area called stratosphere, between 10 and 50 km from the earth’s surface.
About 90% of total ozone in the atmosphere is in the stratosphere, and 10% is in the troposphere.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is the landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS).
The ozone depletion is not limited to the area over the South Pole (Antarctica).
Research has shown that ozone depletion occurs over the latitudes that include North America, Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and South America.
6) Consider the following statements with respect to Ber Sahib Gurudwara
It is located in Sultanpur Lodhi in the state of Punjab.
It is the place where Guru Nanak Dev spent more than 14 years of his life and attained enlightenment under a peepal tree.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
PM Modi recently visited Ber Sahib Gurudwara where he visited the Ber tree under which Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is said to have meditated for over 14 years.
7) Dhrupad sometimes seen in the news recently is associated with which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Dhrupad is a musical form in Hindustani Music.
It emphasis more on strict adherence to raga and systematized arrangement of musical parts.
It usually covers themes such as religion, philosophy, devotion and praise of deities, patrons and celebration of seasons.
8) With respect to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) sometimes seen in the news recently, consider the following statements:
It is a temporary status given to eligible nationals of designated countries who are present in the United Kingdom (U.K).
It was initially meant to aid people from countries facing wars or natural disasters.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was initially meant to aid people from countries facing wars or natural disasters.
Citizens of Honduras were originally granted TPS in 1999 in the wake of overwhelming damage from Hurricane Mitch, while migrants from El Salvador and Haiti gained protection in 2001 and 2010 respectively following earthquakes.
About 400,000 citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti have been able to stay in the US through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a protection allowing them to legally live and work in the United States (US) typically offered to citizens of countries suffering from natural disasters or armed conflict.
9) Consider the following statements with respect to Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
It is an inter-governmental organisation of 22 coastal countries bordering the Indian Ocean, as well as 9 dialogue partners.
China and India is the largest contributor to the IORA Special Fund.
IORA Council of Ministers is the apex body which consists of the foreign ministers of member states.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
IORA is the apex regional organisation of 22 Member States and nine (9) Dialogue Partners, stretching from South Africa in the west, running up the eastern coast of Africa, along the Gulf to South and Southeast Asia, ending with Australia in the east.
IORA stands committed to work for a peaceful and prosperous Indian Ocean rim.
The current 22 Member States are: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
China is only a dialogue partner and not a member state.
India is the largest contributor to the IORA Special Fund.
IORA’s apex body is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) that meets annually.
19th IORA Council of Ministers meeting has recently begun.
The theme is "Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean.
10) Consider the following statements with respect to Steel Scrap Recycling Policy
It was issued by the Ministry of Steel.
It aims to promote circular economy in the steel sector.
The target of the policy is to minimise the dependency on imports.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Steel Scrap Recycling Policy was issued recently by the Ministry of Steel.
The policy also aims to promote circular economy in the steel sector.
Promotion of a formal and scientific collection, dismantling and processing activities for end of life products that are sources of recyclable scraps also feature in the policy.
The policy said that Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Department of Heavy Industries are working towards ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ by requiring the vehicle manufacturers to incentivise scrapping of unfit vehicles in exchange for price discounts for purchase of new vehicles.
The Policy has aimed setting up an Environmentally Sound Management system for ferrous scrap which can encourage processing & recycling of ferrous scraps through organized and scientific metal scrapping centers across India to minimize dependency on import of scrap and make India self-sufficient in scrap availability.
The target is to make India a producer of high quality ferrous scrap for quality steel production thus minimising the dependency on imports.
