ALL INDIA PRELIMS TEST SERIES 2019 - Amazon …...Explanation: Project Mekedatu is to be set up by the Karnataka government, in Ramanagaram district, across the river Cauvery . The

1 AIPTS 2019 (GS - 11) (E) Answer Key Byju’s Classes: 9873643487

ALL INDIA PRELIMS TEST SERIES – 2019

GENERAL STUDIES - 11

Answer Key

Ans:1)(d)

Explanation: Competition Commission of

India is a statutory body of the Government

of India responsible for enforcing The

Competition Act, 2002. CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members

appointed by the Central Government. It is

not chaired by the Union Minister of

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public

Distribution.

It aims to create and sustain fair competition in the economy that will provide a ‘level

playing field’ to the producers and make the

markets work for the welfare of the

consumers. Thus, it aims at ensuring both

producer and consumer welfare.

Ans:2)(d)

Explanation: Colocation facilities work as a

type of data center that rents equipment

space and bandwidth to companies and

businesses that need a network service provider at a reasonable cost. Businesses

could spend a small fortune creating a private

infrastructure, but by tapping into colocation

facilities, those same businesses can rent the

services they need without having to create the communications system themselves.

Ans:3)(d)

Explanation: A derivative is a contract

between two or more parties whose value is

based on an agreed-upon underlying financial asset (like a security) or set of assets (like an

index). Common underlying instruments

include bonds, commodities, currencies,

interest rates, market indices and stocks.

Futures contracts, forward contracts, options,

swaps, and warrants are common derivatives.

Ans:4)(c)

Explanation: The Reserve Bank of India has

allowed Tokenisation of debit, credit and

prepaid card transactions to enhance the safety of the digital payments ecosystem in

the country. Tokenization will replace card

details with a code, called a “token,” which

will be specifically for the card, the token

requestor and the device being used to pay.

Instead of the card’s details, the token will act as the card at point of sale (POS) terminals

and quick response (QR) code payment

systems. The goal of the process is to improve

the safety and security of payments.

Ans:5)(d)

Explanation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

had said that it will set up a Public Credit

Registry (PCR). This decision has been taken

as per recommendations of Y.M. Deosthalee committee set up by the central bank.

Ans:6)(a)

Explanation: Union List has at present 99

subjects; originally 97 subjects.

State List has at present 61 subjects; Originally 66 subjects.

Concurrent List has at present 52 subjects;

originally 47 subjects.

The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 transferred

five subjects to Concurrent List from State List, that is (a) education, (b) forests, (c)

weights and measures (d) protection of wild

animals and birds, and (e) administration of

justice; constitution and organisation of all

courts except the Supreme Court and the

high courts. Those provisions of the Constitution which

are related to the federal structure of the

polity, like any of the lists in the Seventh

Schedule can be amended by a special

majority of the Parliament and also with the consent of half of the state legislatures by a

simple majority. Special majority of

parliament alone cannot amend the list in

Seventh schedule.

Ans:7)(c) Explanation: The pink bollworm

(Pectinophora gossypiella) is an insect known

for being a pest in cotton farming.

It has been in news for growing resistance to

Bt Cotton.

According to Monsanto the pink bollworms are likely to have developed resistance to

Cry1Ac protein as its levels are low in

Bollgard. The other reason given for

resistance in pests was lack of non-Bt crops

planted near Bt fields. Such crops attract pests that mate with the pests in Bt fields.

This prevents resistance to Bt gene in them.

Ans:8)(d)

Explanation: The government in December

2018 extended Ujjwala Yojana of providing free cooking gas (LPG) connections to all poor

households.

While previously the connections were given

based on the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste

Census (SECC), the list was later expanded to


include providing free cooking gas connection

to all SC/ST households, forest dwellers,

most backward classes, inhabitants of

islands, nomadic tribes, tea estates and

beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Antyodaya Yojana. Now, it has been

extended to all poor.

Ans:9)(d)

Explanation: The Government of India

provides financial and technical assistance to the State/UT Governments for activities

aimed at wildlife conservation through the

Centrally Sponsored Scheme viz. ‘Integrated

Development of Wildlife Habitats’. The

scheme has following three components: 1. Support to Protected Areas (National Parks,

Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves

and Community Reserves). It includes

Conservation Reserves and Community

Reserves too.

2. Protection of Wildlife Outside Protected Areas 3. Recovery programmes for saving critically

endangered species and habitats.

Ans:10)(a)

Explanation: BEE star labelling is currently invoked for equipments/appliances Room Air

Conditioner (Fixed Speed), Ceiling Fan,

Colour Television, Computer, Direct Cool

Refrigerator, Distribution Transformer,

Domestic Gas Stove, Frost Free Refrigerator,

General Purpose Industrial Motor, Monoset Pump, Openwell Submersible Pump Set,

Stationary Type Water Heater, Submersible

Pump Set, Washing Machine, Ballast, Solid

State Inverter, Office Automation Products,

Diesel Engine Driven Monosetpumps For Agricultural Purposes, Diesel Generator Set,

Led Lamps, Room Air Conditioner (Variable

Speed), Chillers, Agricultural Pumpset.

BEE does not label cars.

Ans:11)(a) Explanation: The project was launched at

the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in

June 2017 and is aligned with the UN's

Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve

and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. It was not launched by

World Meteorological Organisation.

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project

between the Nippon Foundation of Japan and

the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans

(GEBCO). It aims to bring together all available bathymetric data to produce the

definitive map of the world ocean floor by

2030 and make it available to all.

Ans:12)(d) Explanation: Von Kármán is a large lunar

impact crater that is located in the southern

hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The

crater is about 180 km in diameter and it is

located within an even larger impact crater

known as the South Pole–Aitken basin of

roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and 13 km (8.1 mi) deep. Von Kármán is the site

of the first soft-landing on the lunar far side

by the Chinese Chang'e 4 spacecraft on 3

January 2019.

Ans:13)(b) Explanation: Measles is a highly contagious

viral (and not fungal) disease. It remains an

important cause of death among young

children globally, despite the availability of a

safe and effective vaccine. Measles is transmitted via droplets from the

nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.

Severe measles is more likely among poorly

nourished young children, especially those

with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune

systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases. The most serious

complications include blindness, encephalitis

(an infection that causes brain swelling),

severe diarrhoea and related dehydration,

and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Ans:14)(a)

Explanation: The Supreme Court had

scrapped the proposal of use of ‘None Of The

Above’ (NOTA) option in the Rajya Sabha elections. Hence they are not used in Rajya

Sabha Elections.

NOTA do not mean rejection. That may sound

self-defeating to the whole point of NOTA but

according to Indian democracy the rule of first past the post is declared the winner.

Thus, if out of total 10,000 votes, 9999 voters

elect NOTA option and just one candidate

gets even a single vote, then the latter wins

from that constituency.

Ans:15)(d)

Explanation: The Organisation of Islamic

Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-

governmental organization after the United

Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization

is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It

endeavors to safeguard and protect the

interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of

promoting international peace and harmony

among various people of the world. No nation in North American continent is a

member of this organization.

56 out of 57 members of OIC are

also member states of the United Nations,

the exception being Palestine. The member nations of OIC are shown as

shaded areas in the map below:


Ans:16)(b)

Explanation: Project Mekedatu is to be set

up by the Karnataka government, in

Ramanagaram district, across the river Cauvery . The Project is at the confluence of

Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers, near

Kanakapura which is at a distance of 110 km

from Bengaluru.

Its primary objective is to supply drinking

water to Bengaluru and Ramnagar district and recharge the groundwater table in the

region.

Ans:17)(c)

Explanation: The Central Government in January 2019 released the Eighth Edition of

the Status Paper on the Government Debt,

which provides a detailed analysis of the

Overall Debt Position of the Government of

India. The Central Government has been

bringing-out an Annual Status Paper on Government Debt since 2010-11.

Status Paper on Government Debt for 2017-

18

The Centre’s total debt as a percentage of

GDP reduced to 46.5% in 2017-18 from

47.5% as of March 31, 2014.

The total debt of the States has risen to 24%

in 2017-18, and is estimated to be 24.3% in 2018-19.

In absolute terms, the Centre’s total debt

increased from Rs 56,69,429 crore at the end

of March 2014 to Rs 82,35,178 crore in 2017-

18, representing a 45% increase. The total

debt of the States increased from Rs 24,71,270 crore to Rs 40,22,090 crore over

the same period, an increase of almost 63%.

Ans:18)(b)

Explanation: Lymphatic filariasis is caused

by infection with parasitic worms living in the lymphatic system. The larval stages of the

parasite (microfilaria) circulate in the blood

and are transmitted from person to person by

mosquitoes.

Manifestation of the disease after infection takes time and can result in an altered

lymphatic system, causing abnormal

enlargement of body parts, and leading to

severe disability and social stigmatization of

those affected.

The parasites are transmitted by four main

types of mosquitoes: Culex, Mansonia,

Anopheles and Aedes.

Ans:19)(c)

Explanation: Project ReWeave is initiated by

Microsoft India (R&D) Pvt. Ltd in 2016 as part

of its Philanthropies efforts.

It aims to revive the handloom weaving ecosystem in India.

Under the initiative, Microsoft is working

closely with NGO partner, Chaitanya

Bharathi to provide infrastructure, financing

and marketing support to help weaver families keep their weaving traditions alive by

sustaining livelihoods.

Ans:20)(d)

Explanation: The National Social Assistance

Programme (NSAP) is a welfare programme being administered by the Ministry of Rural

Development. This programme is being

implemented in rural areas as well as urban

areas. It is a centrally sponsored scheme.

The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which came into effect from 15th

August,1995 represents a significant step

towards the fulfillment of the Directive

Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution.

The programme introduced a National Policy

for Social Assistance for the poor and aims at ensuring minimum national standard for

social assistance in addition to the benefits

that states are currently providing or might

provide in future. NSAP at present, comprises

of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National

Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira

Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme

(IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme

(NFBS) and Annapurna.

Ans:21)(a)

Explanation: October is the month when

migratory birds flock the picturesque Pulicat

Lake in a big way before returning to their

homelands. It is not so this year (in 2018) in view of the prolonged dryspell.

Pulicat lake is the second largest brackish

water lake or lagoon in India, after Chilika

Lake. It straddles the border of Andhra

Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states with over

96% of it in Andhra Pradesh. The lake encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird

Sanctuary. The barrier island of Sriharikota

separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal

and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space

Centre. Two rivers which feed the lagoon are the Arani river at the southern tip and the


Kalangi River from the northwest, in addition

to some smaller streams.

Ans:22)(c)

Explanation: In December 2018, the Ministry

of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has added nine minor

forest produce (MFP) items to its minimum support price (MSP) for MFP scheme. The

total number of MFPs covered under the list

is 49.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of

India is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the scheme which

announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for

the selected MFPs with the technical support

from TRIFED.

TRIFED act as the Central Nodal Agency for

implementation and monitoring of the scheme through State level implementing

agencies.

State designated agencies undertake

procurement of notified MFPs directly from

MFP gatherers (individual or collectives) at haats notified procurement centers at grass

root level at prefixed Minimum Support Price

and ensure full & timely on the spot payment

to MFP gatherers.

Ans:23)(c) Explanation: Wide Field Infrared Survey

Telescope (WFIRST) – a mission concept to

answer vital questions in both exoplanet

detection, dark energy research and Infrared

astrophysics. It is an observatory of NASA.

The New Horizons mission is helping us understand worlds at the edge of our solar

system by making the first reconnaissance of

the dwarf planet Pluto and by venturing

deeper into the distant, mysterious Kuiper

Belt – a relic of solar system formation. It is a

mission of NASA.

NASA's Mission Juno will explore Jupiter,

seeking to unlock secrets of the giant planet

and our solar system. NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its final

approach to Saturn and dove into the planet's

atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017.

Ans:24)(b)

Explanation: Under the KISAN Yojna, an income support of Rs. 6,000 per year (in three

equal installments) will be provided to the

families of small and marginal farmers having

a combined land holding/ownership of up to

two hectares of land. It does not cover tenants.

The Kisan Yojna will be effective

retrospectively from December 1, 2018 for

transfer of benefit to eligible beneficiaries. The

government has recognized 12.5 crore such

beneficiaries. The first instalment has been already

released by the government.

Seeding of Aadhaar with bank accounts will

not be compulsory for small and marginal

farmers to avail the second installment of Rs 2,000 due on April 1 under the Pradhan

Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

scheme. However, Aadhaar number would be

required for release of second installment.

The income of Rs. 2,000 for four months will

be directly credited to the bank accounts of eligible farmers in three installments. There is

no mandatory requirement on the farmers on

how to utilize this amount.

Ans:25)(d) Explanation: The National Tiger

Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently told a

bench of the Supreme Court that African

cheetahs would be translocated in India from

Namibia and would be kept at Nauradehi

wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. Cheetah are not found in India in their

natural habitat.

Ans:26)(a)

Explanation: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was established in July 1989 by

a Group of Seven (G-7) Summit in Paris,

initially to examine and develop measures to

combat money laundering. It is not related to

trade of wild flora and fauna.

The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective

implementation of legal, regulatory and

operational measures for combating money

laundering, terrorist financing and other

related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF is

therefore a “policy-making body” which works


to generate the necessary political will to

bring about national legislative and

regulatory reforms in these areas.

India has been a member of the FATF since

2010.

Ans:27)(c)

Explanation: Commission for ‘Agricultural

Costs and Prices’ (CACP), is mandated to

advice on the price policy (MSP) of 23 crops.

These include seven cereal crops (paddy, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi and barley),

five pulse crops (gram, tur, moong, urad and

lentil), seven oilseeds (groundnut, sunflower

seed, soyabean, rapeseed, mustard, safflower,

nigerseed and seasmum), copra (dried coconut), cotton, raw jute and sugarcane.

Ans:28)(d)

Explanation: While recommending price

policy of various commodities under its

mandate, the Commission keeps in mind the various Terms of Reference. Accordingly, it

analyzes

o demand and supply;

o cost of production;

o price trends in the market, both domestic and international;

o inter-crop price parity;

o terms of trade between agriculture and non-

agriculture; and

o Likely implications of MSP on consumers of

that product. It may be noted that cost of production is an

important factor that goes as an input in

determination of MSP, but it is certainly not

the only factor that determines MSP.

Ans:29)(a)

Explanation: Ceropegia bulbosa, is an

endemic threatened plant species of Thar

Desert.

Ans:30)(a) Explanation: Sahitya Akademi organizes

Festival of Letters every year to celebrate

Indian writing. To promote literature among

youth, the Akademi publishes the first of the

young author under its Navodaya scheme. Recently Sahitya Akademi has launched a

Village Outreach programme, Gramalok, to

promote literature in rural spaces.

The Academy also confers Fellowships on

eminent Indian writers and foreign scholars

who have served Indian literature. Ananda Coomaraswamy Fellowship for scholars from

Asian countries to pursue literary projects

and Premchand Fellowship for scholars doing

research on Indian literature from SAARC

countries are two other prominent Fellowships of the Akademi.

Ans:31)(c)

Explanation: The broad objectives of the Ek

Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative are:-

to celebrate the unity in diversity of our

nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional

bonds between the people of our country;

to promote the spirit of national integration

through a deep and structured engagement

between all states and union territories

through a year-long planned engagement between states;

to showcase the rich heritage and culture,

customs and traditions of either state for

enabling people to understand and appreciate

the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity;

To establish long-term engagements;

To create an environment this promotes

learning between States by sharing best

practices and experiences.

There is no special emphasis given to Himalayas to preserve, promote and

propagate the intangible cultural heritage.

It is the aim of the Buddhist Tibetan

Institutions (BTI) is to help preserve, promote

and propagate the intangible of Buddhist/Tibetan/Himalayan cultural

heritage of the country.

Ans:32)(a)

Explanation: Mridaparikshak is a digital

mobile quantitative minilab/soil test kit to provide soil testing service at farmers’

doorsteps. It determines all the important soil

parameters i.e. soil pH, EC, organic carbon,

available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,

sulphur and micronutrients like zinc, boron and iron. It also provides crop and soil

specific fertilizer recommendations directly to

farmer’s mobile through SMS. Nano-

composites were developed by trapping novel

biologically synthesized nanoparticles

aluminosilicate, which modifies its surface and pores making them ideal for varied

aquaculture applications.

However developments of Nano-composites

are done by Department of biotechnology and

DRDO (not by Mridaparikshak) for different uses.

Ans:33)(c)

Explanation: Native to South and South-East

Asia, Bactrocera zonata is now found in more

than 20 countries. It spreads in new area by increasing international tourism and trade,

and is influenced by changes in climate and land use. B. zonata is a strong flier and can

be active throughout the year. It infests fleshy

fruits mainly mangoes in India.


Ans:34)(b)

Explanation: Forecasting studies of rice

yields using DSSAT (Decision Support System

for Agro technology Transfer) rice model

predicted that, all states in the eastern region are likely to experience reduced yields of

below or equal to 10% during mid-century

climate change scenarios except Bihar. Net

global warming potential (NGWP) and

Greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) were

influenced by tillage and residue treatments. The greenhouse gas intensity indicator

measures the relationship between the

environment and economy by comparing two

indicators. It measures whether emissions

have grown or decreased faster or slower than growth in the economy.

Greenhouse gas intensity compares

production in the economy, as measured by

real GDP, with total greenhouse gas

emissions.

Ans:35)(d)

Explanation: Presently India is the second

largest fish producing and second largest

aquaculture nation in the world. India is also

a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China.

The total fish production during 2015-16

(provisional) stood at 10.79 million metric

tonne (MMT) with a contribution of 7.21 MMT

from inland sector and 3.58 MMT from

marine sector. Fisheries are a sunrise sector with varied resources and potential, engaging

over 14.50 million people at the primary level.

Within inland fisheries there is a shift from

capture fisheries to aquaculture during the

last two and a half decade. Freshwater aquaculture with a share of 34 per cent in

inland fisheries in mid-1980s has increased

to about 80 percent in recent years.

Ans:36)(b)

Explanation: The Kisan Credit Card Scheme is in operation throughout the country and is

implemented by public sector Commercial

Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional

Rural Banks. It was originally launched to

provide short term loans in the form of production credit. However, later its scope

has extended to term loans for agriculture

and allied activities and reasonable

component for consumption loan. The KCC

Scheme has since been simplified and

converted into ATM enabled debit card with, inter alia, facilities of one-time

documentation, built-in cost escalation in the

limit, any number of withdrawals within the

limit, etc., which eliminates the need for

disbursement through camps and mitigates the vulnerability of farmers to middlemen.

Ans:37)(c)

Explanation: The Cool Farm Tool model used

to estimate emission of GHGs, integrates

several globally determined empirical GHG

quantification models. Using the tool, GHG fluxes (carbon-dioxide and methane),

moisture and heat in the soil plant-

atmosphere systems were measured in rice-

wheat rotation. Among the cropping systems,

maize-wheat cropping registered highest

carbon management index.

Ans:38)(a)

Explanation: Oumuamua is the first and

currently only interstellar object detected

passing through the Solar System. Formally designated 1I/2017 U1, it was discovered by

Robert Weryk using the Pan-STARRS

telescope at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii,

on 19 October 2017, 40 days after it passed

its closest point to the Sun.

Ans:39)(d)

Explanation: The major activities of the

Archaeological Survey of India are:

Survey of archaeological remains,

monuments and excavations; Maintenance and conservation of centrally

protected monuments, sites and remains;

Chemical preservation of monuments and

antiquarian remains;

Development of epigraphically research and

numismatic studies; Setting up and re-organization of site

museums;

Expeditions abroad;

Training in archaeology;

Publication of technical reports and research works.

The Horticulture Branch of the ASI maintains

gardens in about 287 centrally protected

monuments/sites located in different parts of

the country. The Epigraphy Branch at Mysore

carries out research work in Sanskrit and Dravidian languages while the one at Nagpur

carries out research work in Arabic and

Persian.

Ans:40)(d) Explanation: In 1945, the Asiatic Society of

Bengal submitted a proposal for the creation

of a National Cultural Trust consisting of

three academies-an academy of dance, drama

and music; an academy .of letters and an

academy of art and architecture. It led to the creation of three national academies after

Independence. Sangeet Natak Akademi, was

the first of these three entities to be

established by a resolution of the Ministry of

Education. Lalit Kala Akademi is the government’s apex cultural body in the field

of visual arts in India. It is an autonomous


body, which is fully funded by the Ministry of

Culture. Besides the 22 languages

enumerated in the Constitution of India, the

Sahitya Akademi has recognised English and

Rajasthani as languages in which its programmes are being implemented.

Ans:41)(a)

Explanation: The Foreign Trade Policy 2015-

20 has merged 6 incentive schemes into one

scheme each for merchandise and service exports. These are Merchandise Exports from

India Scheme (MEIS) and Service Exports

from India Scheme (SEIS). Services Exports

from India Scheme (SEIS) is an incentive

scheme for eligible service exports. Advance Authorization (AA) Scheme: Under this

scheme, duty free imports of inputs (that are

physically incorporated in the export product)

are allowed, with minimum 15 per cent value

addition. It does not allow duty free export.

Ans:42)(b)

Explanation: India Post Payments Bank

(IPPB) can accept only savings and current

deposits of up to Rs 1 lakh per customer.

They can issue ATM or debit cards but not credit cards. It can provide access to third

party financial services such as insurance,

mutual funds, pension, credit products,

forex, and more. Payments banks will be

permitted to handle cross border remittance

transactions in the nature of personal payments or remittances on the current

account.

Ans:43)(d)

The Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests

and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Indian Resource Panel (InRP) are implementing

Indian Resource Efficiency Programme (IREP)

to make resource use economically and

environmentally sustainable.

NITI Aayog in collaboration with the

European Union delegation to India have

released the Strategy on Resource Efficiency

UNEP established the International Resource Panel (IRP) as a central institution to provide

independent scientific assessments on

sustainable use of natural resources and

their environmental impacts and policy

approaches.

Ans:44)(b)

Explanation: Three statutory bodies, i.e., the

Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), the

Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB) and

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), are under the administrative control of the Ministry of

Power. Power Trading Corporation has also

been incorporated primarily to support the

Mega Power Projects in private sector by

acting as a single entity to enter into Power

Purchase Agreements

Ans:45)(b) Unnat Bharat Abhiayan:

The Mission of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is to

enable higher educational institutions like

IITs, NITs etc. to work with the people of rural

India in identifying development challenges

and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth.

SAKSHAM - Scholarship for Differently-

Abled Children

Scheme of AICTE aims at providing

encouragement and support to differently-abled children to pursue technical education.

Scholarships amounting to Rs. 5 crore per

annum as tuition fees and incidentals are to

be provided to needy and meritorious

students for pursuing technical education at

AICTE approved institution. This is to help them to achieve their college goals, despite

learning issues, environmental challenges or

medical bills.

Ishan Uday-for Students of North East

Region The UGC has launched a special scholarship

scheme for students of north east region,

Ishan Uday from the academic session 2014-

15. The Scheme envisages grant of 10,000

scholarships to students from the region

whose parental income is below 4.5 lakh per annum and would be provided scholarship

ranging from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 5,000 per

month for studying at under graduate level in

colleges/ universities of the country.

Ishan Vikas - Academic Exposure for North Eastern Students

The programme has been launched with a

plan to bring selected college and school

students from the north eastern states into

close contact with IITs, NITs and IISERs

during their vacation periods for academic exposure.

Ans:46)(c)

Explanation: Global Initiative for Academic

Network (GIAN) aims at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs,

internationally to encourage their engagement

with the institutes of higher education in

India so as to augment the country’s existing

academic resources, accelerate the pace of

quality reform, and elevate India’s scientific and technological capacity to global

excellence.

Ans:47)(b)

Explanation: Anti – infiltration duties are peace time duties and not war time. Other

war time duties are maintenance of law and


order in enemy territory under army’s control;

assistance in control of refugees; performing

special tasks connected with intelligence

including raids; Aggression against enemy

army is not allowed for BSF. Limited aggression against central police or irregular

forces of enemy is allowed.

Ans:48)(d)

Explanation: RAF was raise to deal with

communal clashes. It continues to deal with militancy in J&K and Punjab, insurgency in

North-east, overseas deployment for UN peace

keeping force, rescue and relief, guarding

vital shrines in Ayodhya, Kashi, Vaishno

Devi, Jammu law and order situation, etc. It has also helped for successful completion of

elections in various states.

Ans:49)(d)

Explanation:

In essence, effective governance in India will

rest on the following 7 pillars:

Pro-people agenda that fulfills the aspirations of the society as well as individual,

Pro-active in anticipating and responding to

their needs,

Participative, by involvement of citizens,

Empowering women in all aspects

Inclusion of all groups, with special attention

to the economically weak (garib), the SC, ST

and OBC communities, the rural sector and

farmers (gaon and kisan), youth and all

categories of minorities.

Equality of opportunity to our country’s youth,

Transparency through the use of technology

to make government visible and responsive.

Ans:50)(d)

Explanation: A novel ‘Niryat Bandhu’ scheme

for mentoring first generation entrepreneurs has been conceptualized. The Officer (Niryat

Bandhu) would primarily mentor interested

individuals in the arena of international

business. In addition, 35 ‘Towns of

Excellence’ have been taken up for outreach interventions under ‘Niryat Bandhu’ scheme.

Ans:51)(b)

Explanation: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas

Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship outcome-

based skill training scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

(MSDE). Ministry through National Skill

Development Corporation (NSDC), is

implementing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal

Kendra (PMKK) Scheme for setup of model

skill center in every district of the country ensuring coverage of all the parliamentary

constituencies.

Ans:52)(a)

Explanation: National Adaptation Fund for

Climate Change (NAFCC) is a central sector

scheme under implementation in the 12th

Five Year Plan with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

(NABARD) as National Implementing Entity

(NIE). The overall aim of the fund is to

support concrete adaptation activities which

are not covered under on-going activities

through the schemes of state and central government that reduce the adverse impact of

climate change facing communities, sectors

and states.

Ans:53)(a) Explanation: National Action Plan on Climate

Change (NAPCC) is being implemented

through the nodal ministries in specific

sectors/ areas. Eight national missions in the

area of solar energy, enhanced energy

efficiency, sustainable agriculture, sustainable habitat, water, Himalayan

ecosystem, Green India and strategic

knowledge for climate change form the core of

NAPCC.

Ans:54)(b)

Explanation: It also includes desertification

and provides fund to combat it.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF),

established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth

Summit, is a catalyst for action on the environment — and much more. Through its

strategic investments, the GEF works with

partners to tackle the planet’s biggest

environmental issues.

The GEF is A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP of 18 agencies — including United Nations

agencies, multilateral development banks,

national entities and international NGOs —

working with 183 countries to address the

world’s most challenging environmental

issues. The GEF has a large network of civil society organizations, works closely with the

private sector around the world, and receives

continuous inputs from an independent

evaluation office and a world-class scientific

panel. It is a FINANCIAL MECHANISM for five major international environmental

conventions: the Minamata Convention on

Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the

United Nations Convention on Biological

Diversity (UNCBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

(UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

GEF is also an INNOVATOR AND

CATALYST that supports multi-stakeholder alliances to preserve threatened ecosystems

on land and in the oceans, build greener


cities, boost food security and promote clean

energy for a more prosperous, climate-

resilient world; leveraging $5.2 in additional

financing for every $1 invested.

The GEF Trust Fund was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing

environmental problems. Funds are available

to developing countries and countries with

economies in transition to meet the objectives

of the international environmental

conventions and agreements.

Ans:55)(b)

Explanation: Krakatoa, or Krakatau

(Indonesian: Krakatau), is a caldera in the

Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of

Lampung.

According to some volcanologists, collapse of

rocks on Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano

caused an undersea rockslide, which in turn

generated a tsunami.

Ans:56)(a)

Explanation: Rythu Bandhu Scheme is

proposed by Government of Telangana (and

not Andhra Pradesh) for providing Investment Support to Agriculture and Horticulture

crops by way of grant of Rs. 4,000/- per acre

per farmer each season for purchase of

inputs like Seeds, Fertilizers, Pesticides,

Labour and other investments in the field

operations of Farmer’s choice for the crop season.

The scheme covers 1.42 crore acres in the 31

districts of the state, and every farmer owning

land is eligible. Officials said 92% of the

beneficiaries own less than 5 acres, 5% own 5-10 acres and the remaining 3% own more

than 10 acres.

Ans:57)(b)

Explanation: National Statistical

Commission was established in 2005 based on the recommendations of the Rangarajan

Committee. The commission was established

through an executive order (and hence it is

not a statutory body) and it works under the

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

The Commission consists of a part-time

Chairperson, four part-time Members, an ex-

officio Member and a secretary. The Chief

Statistician of India who is the Head of the

National Statistical Office is the Secretary of the Commission and the Chief Executive

Officer of the NITI Aayog is the ex-officio

Member of the commission.

Ans:58)(d) Explanation: The concept of curative petition

was first evolved by the Supreme Court of

India in the matter of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs.

Ashok Hurra and Anr. (2002) (and not by an

amendment act of the Constitution) where the

question was whether an aggrieved person is

entitled to any relief against the final judgement/order of the Supreme Court, after

dismissal of a review petition.

The Supreme Court in the said case held that

in order to prevent abuse of its process and to

cure gross miscarriage of justice, it may

reconsider its judgements in exercise of its inherent powers. For this purpose, the Court

has devised what has been termed as a

“curative” petition. It is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances in court which is

normally decided by judges in-chamber. It is only in rare cases that such petitions are

given an open-court hearing.

Curative petitions are entertained by

Supreme Courts only.

Ans:59)(c) Explanation: The Agni-5 is three-stage solid

propellant nuclear-capable intercontinental

ballistic missile (ICBM), indigenously

developed by the Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO).

It is an intercontinental surface to surface (and not surface to air) nuclear capable

ballistic missile.

Other Countries with ICBM technology are

USA, Russia, U.K, France and China.

Ans:60)(b)

Explanation: The nodal agency to coordinate,

guide and oversee implementation of IPRs is

the Department of Industrial Policy and

Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and

Industry. The Union Cabinet has approved the National

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy on

12th May, 2016 that shall lay the future

roadmap for IPRs in India. The Policy

recognises the abundance of creative and innovative energies that flow in India, and the

need to tap into and channelize these

energies towards a better and brighter future

for all.

The National IPR Policy is a vision document

that encompasses and brings to a single platform all IPRs.

A Cell CIPAM to be created as a professional

body under aegis of DIPP to address the 7

identified objectives of the Policy. Among

other aspects, it shall study IP processes to simplify and streamline them, monitor public

grievances, oversee capacity building of

human resources and institutions for

outsourced search activities, promote

commercialization of IPRs and endeavor to

provide a platform to connect innovators and


creators to potential users, buyers, investors

and funding institutions.

A detailed review of IPR Policy shall be

undertaken every five years. Continuous and

regular Review will be done by a Committee to be constituted for this purpose under the

Secretary, DIPP.

Ans:61)(c)

Explanation: PISA is the OECD's Programme

for International Student Assessment. Every three years it tests 15-year-old students from

all over the world in reading, mathematics

and science. The tests are designed to gauge

how well the students master key subjects in

order to be prepared for real-life situations in the adult world. Why choose 15-year-olds? It

is because in most countries, at the age of 15,

students can decide whether or not they want

to continue their education.

PISA is coordinated by the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of

industrialized countries, and is conducted in

the United States by NCES.

The Union Human Resources Development

Ministry has signed an agreement with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) for India’s Participation

in Programme for International Student

Assessment- PISA 2021.

Ans:62)(d) Explanation: Noncommunicable - or chronic

- diseases are diseases of long duration and

generally slow progression. The four main

types of non-communicable diseases are

cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory

diseases (such as chronic obstructed

pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.

A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a

disease that is not transmissible directly from

one person to another. NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases,

strokes, most heart diseases, most cancers,

diabetes, chronic kidney disease,

osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's

disease, cataracts, and others. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition caused

by an overactive immune system. The World

Health Organization (WHO) now officially lists

psoriasis as a Noncommunicable Disease

(NCD) in 2014.

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby has a head size much smaller compared with

other babies of the same age and sex. Head

size is an important measurement to monitor

a child’s brain growth. The severity of

microcephaly ranges from mild to severe. Microcephaly can be present at birth

(congenital) or may develop postnatally

(acquired). Zika virus–related birth defects

was reported in 2015 in Brazil, where >4,000

cases of infant microcephaly were

documented by the end of that year.

Microcephaly was found among those infants who were delivered by mothers infected by

Zika- Virus.

Ans:63)(a)

Explanation: India is expected to commission

a major hydropower project “Mangdechhu project” in Bhutan. This project was bagged

by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL)

and it will be implemented on a bilateral

basis. Arun hydro power project is the run-of-

the river type project constructed in Nepal at the Arun River.

Ans:64)(c)

Explanation: Financial Benchmark India

Private Ltd (FBIL) was jointly promoted by

Fixed Income Money Market & Derivative Association of India (FIMMDA), Foreign

Exchange Dealers’ Association of India

(FEDAI) and Indian Banks’ ‘Association (IBA).

It was incorporated on 9th December 2014

under the Companies Act 2013. It was recognised by Reserve bank of India as an

independent Benchmark administrator on

2nd July 2015.

The main object of the company is to act as

the administrators of the Indian interest rate

and foreign exchange benchmarks and to introduce and implement policies and

procedures to handle the benchmarks.

It was created on the recommendation of Shri

Vijaya Bhaskar Committee on benchmark

administration of India.

Ans:65)(d)

Explanation: The Minister of Road Transport

& Highways and Shipping launched INAM-

Pro.

It is a web portal - an e-commerce platform for construction and infrastructure raw

material for government and private

procurement, designed by National Highways

and Infrastructure Development Corporation

Ltd (NHIDCL). The portal facilitates comparison of price, availability of materials

etc. and made it very convenient for the

prospective buyers to procure cement at

reasonable rates in a transparent manner.

INAM-PRO+ is an upgraded version of

INAMPRO to include everything related to construction materials, equipments/

machinery and services like purchase/

hiring/lease of new/used products and

services in the domains of Construction

Materials.


Ans:66)(b)

Explanation: Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change, Government of

India has launched the “Asiatic Lion

Conservation Project” with an aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free

population of Asiatic Lion and its associated

ecosystem.

Asiatic Lion, Panthera Leo Persica is listed in

Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protect Act, 1972, while

IUCN lists it in endangered category. They are already included in the Appendix-1 of CITES

and hence the third statement is wrong.

The last census in the year 2015 showed the

population of 523 Asiatic Lions in Gir

Protected Area Network of 1648.79 sq. km. that includes Gir National Park, Gir

Sanctuary, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala

Sanctuary adjoining reserved forests,

Protected Forests, and Unclassed Forests. All

these protected areas are in Gujarat.

Ans:67)(b)

Explanation: The world's first-in-human

telerobotic coronary intervention was

conducted in Ahmedabad. The surgery was

conducted by Dr Tejal Patel, the Chief Interventional Cardiologist at Apex Heart

Institute in Ahmedabad.

Telerobotic Coronary Intervention is a robotic

method of performing heart surgery with the

help of the internet and a robotic tower. It is

not based on the technique of artificial intelligence.

This platform has the potential to

dramatically improve patient access for both

elective and emergent percutaneous coronary

interventions and stroke in rural and under-served populations.

It will reduce time to seek access for

treatment and will also reduce variability in

operator skills, improve clinical outcomes.

Ans:68)(b) Explanation: Kigali agreement is an

amendment to Montreal Protocol. In the 28th

meeting of the Parties to the Montreal

Protocol, negotiators from 197 nations signed

a historic agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, a capital city of a tiny

African country, Rwanda on 15th October

2016.

This phase down is expected to arrest the

global average temperature rise up to 0.5o C

by 2100. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal

Protocol on Substances that Deplete the

Ozone Layer entered into force on 1 January

2019, following ratification by 65 countries.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is legally binding.

Implementation of new targets set out in the

amendment will be done in three phases,

with a group of developed countries starting

HFCs phase-down from 2019. Developing

countries will follow with a freeze of HFCs consumption levels in 2024 and with a few

countries freezing consumption in 2028.

Ans:69)(b)

Explanation: SAARC Members: Bangladesh,

Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan , Sri Lanka And Afghanistan.

BIMSTEC Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan,

India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and

Myanmar.

IORA members: The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is a dynamic inter-

governmental organisation aimed at

strengthening regional cooperation and

sustainable development within the Indian

Ocean region through its 22 Member States

and 9 Dialogue Partners. India, Australia, Iran IR, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, South

Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka,

Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius,

Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles,

Somalia, Comoros and Oman are members of IORA. In November 2018, Maldives has now

become the latest member of Indian Ocean

Rim Association (IORA) after India managed

to convince naysayers that the new

government in Malé should be given a

chance.

Ans:70)(d)

Explanation: ‘Namami Gange Programme’, is

an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved

as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government to accomplish the twin objectives

of effective abatement of pollution,

conservation and rejuvenation of National

River Ganga. The Ministry of Water

Resources, River Development and Ganga

Rejuvenation is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the programme.

Nirmal Dhara takes up issue of sewage and

Aviral Dhara focuses on restoration and

conservation of wetlands, efficient irrigation

methods and rational agricultural practices. There will also be promotion of Shipping and

Tourism.

Ans:71)(d)

Explanation: Department of Defense

Production deals with matters pertaining to defense production, indigenization of

imported stores, equipment and spares,

planning and control of departmental

production units of the ordnance factory

board and Defense Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).


The Department of Defense Research and

Development advises the government on

scientific aspects of military equipment and

logistics and the formulation of research,

design and development plans for equipment required by the Services.

The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

deals with all resettlement, welfare and

pensioners matters of Ex-Servicemen. It also

deals with matters relating to Directorate

General of Resettlement and Kendriye Sainik Board.

Ans:72)(a)

Explanation: National Institute for Research

and Development in Defense Shipbuilding (NIRDESH) was set up at Kozhikode, Kerala

with the objective of achieving self-reliance in

shipbuilding.

Kiran is Indian air force’s training aircraft.

The DRDO Netra is an Indian, light-weight,

autonomous UAV for surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Ans:73)(c)

Explanation: Rustom is a Medium Altitude

Long Endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) being developed by DRDO for the three

services, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the

Indian Air Force of the Indian Armed Forces.

Ans:74)(a)

Explanation: Annapurna Scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Rural

Development. Indigent senior citizens of 65

years of age or above who are not getting

pension under the National Old Age Pension

Scheme (NOAPS), are provided 10 kgs of food grains per person per month free of cost

under the scheme.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) was launched

in 2000 to provide focus on food security of

the poorest of the poor, and covers 2.5 crore

households. The SABLA scheme was launched in 2010 by

merging of Nutrition Programme and

Adolescent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti

Yojana (KSY) into a single scheme. The

scheme aims at empowering adolescent girls of 11-18 years by improvement of their

nutritional and health status and upgrading

various skills useful to them.

Ans:75)(c)

Explanation: The Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs) issued against stocks of farm

produces deposited by the farmers in

warehouses. Farmer can avail bank loans by

depositing these instruments as security. To

issue Negotiable Warehouse Receipts warehouses need to be registered with the

Warehousing Development and Regulatory

Authority (WDRA). WDRA was created under

Department of Food and Public Distribution,

Government of India by Warehousing

(Development and Regulation) Act, 2007 for

implementation of the provisions of the Act.

Ans:76)(a)

Explanation: Serious Fraud Investigation

Office (SFIO) was set up in July, 2003. It has

been given statutory status in 2013.

Subsequently its powers have been enhanced substantially. The main function of SFIO is to

investigate corporate frauds of serious and

complex nature. It does not investigate the

cases of the political parties.

Ans:77)(d)

Explanation: Public debt includes:

Internal debt comprising borrowings inside

the country like market loans, compensations

and other bonds, treasury bills issued to

finance state governments, commercial banks and other parties as well as non-negotiable

non-interest bearing rupee securities issued

to the international financial institutions.

External debt comprises loans from foreign

countries, international financial institutions, etc.

The “other liabilities” include outstanding

against the various small saving schemes,

provident funds, securities issued to the oil

marketing companies, fertilizer companies

and Food Corporation of India, reserve funds and deposits and other items.

Ans:78)(c)

Explanation: Ministry of civil aviation has

started an online portal Digital Sky for the purpose of registration of drones, pilots, and

operators in India. Digital Sky platform is an

online IT platform developed for handling

Unique Identification Numbers (UIN),

Unmanned Aerial Operator’s Permit (UAOP)

applications, permission to fly drones in India.

Ans:79)(a)

Explanation: FSDC is super regulatory body

for regulating financial sector. Union Finance Minister is chairman of FSDC. Its members

are heads of financial sector regulatory

authorities (i.e, RBI, SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA). In

the reconstituted Financial Stability and

Development Council (FSDC) Chairman of the

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) shall be one of the member.

Ans:80)(a)

Explanation: The Global Environment

Facility (GEF) operates as a mechanism for international cooperation. It also serves as

financial mechanism for the Convention on


Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN

Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Minamata Convention on Mercury

and supports implementation of the Protocol

in countries with economies in transition for

the Montreal Protocol on Substances that

Deplete the Ozone Layer (MP).

The Parties to the Ramsar Convention established the Small Grants Fund (SGF) in

1990 to help developing countries support the

conservation and wise use of wetland

resources, and the sustainable development

of communities which depend on them and care for them.

Ans:81)(c)

Explanation: Swadesh Darshan scheme has

a vision to develop theme based tourist

circuits on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in

an integrated manner by synergizing efforts to

focus on needs and concerns of all

stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and

enhance employment opportunities. Under the scheme thirteen thematic circuits

have been identified for development, namely:

North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit,

Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna

Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco

Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and

Heritage Circuit.

There is no such circuit in the name of

Ladakh Circuit.

Ans:82)(b)

Explanation: The major objective of the

PMKSY is to achieve convergence of

investments in irrigation at the field level,

expand cultivable area under assured

irrigation (Har Khet ko pani), improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of

water, enhance the adoption of precision-

irrigation and other water saving technologies

(More crop per drop), enhance recharge of

aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the

feasibility of reusing treated municipal based

water for peri-urban agriculture and attract

greater private investment in precision

irrigation system.

The scheme does not provide insurance to the Irrigation facilities. Statement 3 is incorrect.

Ans:83)(d)

Explanation: Niche tourism refers to how a

specific tourism product can be tailored to meet the needs of a particular

audience/market segment. Locations with

specific niche products are able to establish

and position themselves, as niche tourism

destinations.

The Ministry of Tourism, India is promoting

some ‘niche’ tourist segments in India. This includes the products: Cruise, Adventure,

Medical, Wellness, Golf, Polo, Eco-Tourism,

Film Tourism, Sustainable Tourism and

Meetings Incentives Conferences and

Exhibitions (MICE). They have been identified

for development and promotion by the Ministry of Tourism.

Ans:84)(d)

Explanation: In order to utilize and harness

the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India has embarked upon an ambitious

initiative - "GI Cloud" which has been named

as 'MeghRaj'. The focus of this initiative is to

accelerate delivery of e-services in the country

while optimizing ICT spending of the

Government.

Ans:85)(c)

Explanation: In order to address the recent

developments in the IOR region, India is

actively participating in arrangements like the ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on

Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against

Ships in Asia) and the SOMS (Striats of

Malacca and Singapore) mechanism for

maritime safety. ReCAAP is a multilateral

agreement between 16 countries in Asia including India.

SOMS is a cooperative forum established by

IMO(International Maritime Organisation) to

address the various issues related to Strait of

Malacca.

Ans:86)(b)

Explanation: Under PRASAD scheme, a

number of sites of religious significance have

been identified for development. Under it,

Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State

Governments for promoting tourism at

identified destinations. For components

within public funding under this scheme,

Central Government will provide 100% fund. For improved sustainability of project, it also

seeks to involve Public Private Partnership

(PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility

(CSR) as well.

Ans:87)(d) Explanation: In 1973, 239 banks from 15

countries got together to solve a common

problem: how to communicate about cross-

border payments. The banks formed a

cooperative utility, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication,

headquartered in Belgium. SWIFT was set up


by and for its users to support international

finance and commerce. It is not associated

with International Monetary Fund.

It is a messaging network that financial

institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a

standardized system of codes. Under SWIFT,

each financial organization has a unique code

which is used to send and receive payments.

SWIFT does not facilitate funds transfer.

Rather, it sends payment orders, which must be settled by correspondent accounts that the

institutions have with each other.

The SWIFT is a secure financial message

carrier — in other words, it transports

messages from one bank to its intended bank recipient.

Its core role is to provide a secure

transmission channel so that Bank A knows

that its message to Bank B goes to Bank B

and no one else. Bank B, in turn, knows that

Bank A, and no one other than Bank A, sent, read or altered the message en route. Banks,

of course, need to have checks in place before

actually sending messages.

Ans:88)(a) Explanation: Atmospheric Waves Experiment

will be launched in August 2022 and will be

attached to exterior of Earth-orbiting

International Space Station (ISS).

Objective of AWE is to study and focus on

airglow, a colourful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere to determine what combination of

forces drive space weather in upper

atmosphere.

It will be the first such experiment to obtain

global observations of important driver of space weather in dynamic region of Earth’s

upper atmosphere that can cause

interference with radio and GPS

communications.

AWE is a Mission of Opportunity under

NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program, which conducts focused scientific research

and develops instrumentation to fill the

scientific gaps between the agency’s larger

missions.

Ans:89)(a)

Explanation: The amendment adds Art 15 (6)

(b) which allows the State to make any special

provision for the advancement of any

economically weaker sections of citizens other

than the classes mentioned in clauses (4) and (5) in so far as such special provisions relate

to their admission to educational institutions

including private educational institutions,

whether aided or unaided by the State, other

than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause (1) of article 30, which in

the case of reservation would be in addition

to the existing reservations and subject to a

maximum of ten per cent of the total seats in

each category.

The amendment adds Article 16(6) which

permits the government to reserve up to 10% of all posts for the “economically weaker

sections” of citizens. Thus, it adds the term

“economically weaker sections” in the

constitution of India.

Ans:90)(a) Explanation: An EVM consists of a "control

unit" and a "balloting unit". The control unit

is with the Election Commission-appointed

polling officer; the balloting unit is in the

voting compartment into where voter casts her vote in secret.

It runs on a single alkaline battery fitted in

the control unit, and can even be used in

areas that have no electricity.

They are manufactured indigenously by

Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Ans:91)(c)

Explanation: On 12 November 2018, at the

UNESCO Internet Governance Forum (IGF), President Emmanuel Macron launched the

Paris Call for Trust and Security in

Cyberspace. It is a high-level declaration on

“developing common principles for securing

cyberspace”, and has the support of various

major private companies and civil society groups.

Ans:92)(b)

Explanation: WHO defines rare disease as

often debilitating lifelong disease or disorder condition with a prevalence of 1 or less, per

1000 population.

80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin and

hence disproportionately impact children.

These are also called ‘orphan diseases’

because drug companies are not interested in adopting them to develop treatments due to

low profitability.

The most common rare diseases include

Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Sickle-cell

Anaemia, auto-immune diseases, etc. Karnataka is the first state to release a Rare

Diseases and Orphan Drugs Policy.

Ans:93)(d)

Explanation: Recently, the Ministry of

Defence has formally launched the “Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti”. As part of the ongoing

initiatives to enhance self-reliance in defence,

the Department of Defence Production has

instituted a new framework titled ‘Mission

Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to provide a boost to the IPR culture in indigenous

defence industry.


The Directorate General of Quality Assurance

(DGQA) has been entrusted with the

responsibility of coordinating and

implementing the programme. The event

brought out that the end objective of ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ is to inculcate IP

culture in Indian defence manufacturing

ecosystem.

The main objective of the mission is to

migrate from the culture of seeking Transfer

of Technology (ToT) from foreign sources to generating Intellectual Property in India, to

achieve the goal of self-reliance in Defence

sector.

Defence Ministers of any other country do not

participate in this event.

Ans:94)(b)

Explanation: Kenya hosted a High-Level

Conference on Sustainable Blue Economy

Conference from November 26-28, 2018 in

Nairobi. The conference was being organized by

Kenya, with Canada and Japan as co-hosts.

The theme of the conference was Blue

Economy and the 2030 agenda for

Sustainable Development. Union Minister for Shipping, India had

participated in this event.

Ans:95)(c)

Explanation: Gandhi Smriti and Darshan

Samiti (GSDS) was formed as an autonomous body, and is functioning under the

constructive advice and financial support

from the Ministry of Culture, Government of

India.

The Prime Minister of India is its Chairperson and it has a nominated body of senior

Gandhians and representatives of various

government departments to guide it in its

activities.

The basic aim and objective of the Samiti is to

propagate the life, mission and thought of Mahatma Gandhi through various socio-

educational and cultural programmes.

Ans:96)(c)

Explanation: Hondurans are the citizens of a Central American country “Honduras”.

Almost 3,000 Hondurans are now stuck on

the Mexican side of the U.S. border in the city

of Tijuana, waiting, hoping to have their

refugee claims processed and be admitted

into the United States.

Ans:97)(b)

Explanation: National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC) is a not-for-profit public

limited company incorporated on July 31, 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act,

1956 (corresponding to section 8 of the

Companies Act, 2013). NSDC was set up by

Ministry of Finance as Public Private

Partnership (PPP) model.

It works under the aegis of the Ministry of

Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The Government of India through Ministry of Skill

Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)

holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while

the private sector has the balance 51% of the

share capital. Recently, A.M. Naik, the Group

chairman of L&T was appointed as the Chairman of NSDC by the Ministry of Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship.

Ans:98)(d)

Explanation: UPSC is an independent constitutional body in the sense that it has

been directly created by the Constitution. The

chairman and members of the Commission

hold office for a term of six years or until they

attain the age of 65 years, whichever is

earlier. The entire expenses including the salaries,

allowances and pensions of the chairman and

members of the UPSC are charged on the

Consolidated Fund of India. Thus, they are

not subject to vote of Parliament. The chairman of UPSC (on ceasing to hold office)

is not eligible for further employment in the

Government of India or a state. A member of

UPSC (on ceasing to hold office) is eligible for

appointment as the chairman of UPSC or a

State Public Service Commission (SPSC), but not for any other employment in the

Government of India or a state. The chairman

or a member of UPSC is (after having

completed his first term) not eligible for

reappointment to that office (i.e., not eligible for second term). Recently, Arvind Saxena has

been sworn in as the Chairman, Union Public

Service Commission.

Ans:99)(d)

Explanation: Ex Cope India-18 is the fourth edition in the series of Bilateral Joint exercise

held between Indian Air Force and United

States Air Force, which is conducted in India.

This is the first time, the exercise is being

planned at two Air Force bases, Kalaikunda and Panagarh in India.

The aim of exercise is to provide operational

exposure and undertake mutual exchange of

best practices towards enhancing operational

capability.

The Cope India exercise is being held after a gap of eight years, with the last one having

taken place in 2010.

Ans:100)(d)

Explanation: Measures to Control Inflation: o price stabilization fund to check volatility of

prices of essential commodities,


o dynamic buffer of pulses for appropriate

market intervention;

o states/UTs empowered to impose stock limits

in respect of pulses, onion, edible oils and

edible oil seeds under the Essential Commodities Act and

o Higher Minimum Support Prices so as to

incentivize production and thereby enhance

availability of food items which may help

moderate prices.

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