all india prelims test series 2019 · the kimberley process certification scheme (kpcs) outlines...

1 AIPTS 2019 (GS - 12) (E) Answer Key Byju’s Classes: 9873643487

ALL INDIA PRELIMS TEST SERIES – 2019

GENERAL STUDIES - 12

Answer Key

Ans:1)(b)

Explanation: The order in the Table of

Precedence is meant for State and Ceremonial

occasions and has no application in the day-to-day business of Government.

Prime Minister (who is also the Chairman of

NITI Aayog)

Chief Justice of India

Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog

Chief Ministers of States outside their

respective States

Ans:2)(d) Explanation: The Constitution (First Amendment) Act,—This amendment provided

for several new grounds of restrictions to the

right to freedom of speech and expression

and the right to practise any profession or to

carry on any trade or business as contained

in Article 19 of the Constitution. These

restrictions related to public order, friendly relations with foreign States or incitement to

an offence in relation to the right to freedom

of speech, and to the prescribing of

professional or technical qualifications or the

carrying on by the State, etc., of any trade, business, industry or service in relation to

the right to carry on any trade or business.

The amendment also inserted two new

Articles, 31A and 31B and the Ninth

Schedule to give protection from challenge to

land reform laws. The Fundamental Duties were added by the

Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act

in 1976 and 86th Constitutional amendment

act 2002.

Ans:3)(c) Explanation: THE earliest mention of the Andhras is said to be in Aitereya Brahmana

(2000 BC). It indicates that the Andhras,

originally an Aryan race living in north India

migrated to south of the Vindhyas and later

mixed with non-Aryans. After Independence, Telugu speaking areas

were separated from the composite Madras

Presidency and a new Andhra State came into

being on 1st October 1953. With the passing

of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, there was a merger of Hyderabad State and Andhra

State, and consequently Andhra Pradesh

came into being on 1 November 1956.

Andhra Pradesh is situated on the country’s

southeastern coast. It is the eighth largest

state in the country covering an area of

160,205 sq. km. According to 2011 census,

the state is tenth largest by population, with

49,386,799 inhabitants.

The state has the second longest coastline of 974 km (605 mi) among all the states of

India, second only to Gujarat.

Ans:4)(b)

Explanation: Assam, also known as a “Land

of Red River and Blue Hills”, is one of the most attractive and beautiful states of the

country. The mighty river Brahmaputra flows

through it, serving as a lifeline for its people

settled on both sides of its banks.

The red refers to another name of the mighty Brahmaputra — Lauhitya (Luit as the

Assamese fondly call it) and the blue from the

hills simmering in the distance creating a

blue haze. With its emerald-green tea

gardens, sanctuaries and carpets of green

paddy fields stretching to the horizon, Assam’s natural beauty is exquisite.

Ans:5)(a)

Explanation: Global Centre for Nuclear

Energy Partnership (GCNEP). It is the

Research and Development unit under the aegis of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)

government of India. It was established in

2010 under the aegis of Department of

Atomic Energy. It promotes global nuclear

energy partnership through collaborative research and training programs to share

technology.

GCNEP is the sixth R&D unit under the aegis

of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The

centre is about 55 km from Delhi airport on

NH-10 (Delhi – Rohtak - Fazilka). The nearest town is Bahadurgarh.

Ans:6)(c)

Explanation: The European Court of Justice

(ECJ) is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. It is

tasked with interpreting EU law and ensuring

its equal application across all EU member

states. The Court was established in 1952

and is composed of one judge per member

state. It is not possible to appeal the decisions of national courts of the member

states to the ECJ, but rather national courts

refer questions of EU law to the ECJ.

However, it is ultimately for the national

court to apply the resulting interpretation to the facts of any given case.


Ans:7)(c)

Explanation: Farkhor Air base is a military

air base located near the town of Farkhor

in Tajikistan operated by Indian air force. Farkhor is India's first and only air base

outside its territory.

Assumption Island is a small island in the

Outer Islands of Seychelles north of

Madagascar.

Havelock Island is located in Andaman and Nicobar.

Kachhativu is disputed island between India

and Sri Lanka located in Palk Bay.

Ans:8)(b) Explanation: National Treatment: Under

national treatment, governments are required

to treat imported products on par with the

domestically manufactured products.

Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs):

It is one of the Multilateral Agreements on Trade in Goods which prohibits trade-related

investment measures, such as local content

requirements, that are inconsistent with

basic provisions of GATT 1994.

Ans:9)(c)

Explanation: India and Nepal have territorial

disputes in Kalapani and Susta, which lie on

the western and eastern border of Nepal,

respectively.

Ans:10)(d)

Explanation: The Wassenaar Arrangement

has been established for promoting

transparency and greater responsibility in

transfers of conventional arms and dual-use arms and technologies.

Every six months member countries exchange

information on deliveries of conventional

arms to non-Wassenaar members that fall

under eight broad weapons categories: battle

tanks, armored combat vehicles (ACVs), large-caliber artillery, military aircraft,

military helicopters, warships, missiles or

missile systems, and small arms and light

weapons.

With the incorporation of India on January 19, 2018, it now has 43 members.

Ans:11)(b)

Explanation: National Scheduled Tribes

Finance and Development Corporation

With a view to pay a focused attention and accelerate the pace of economic development

of scheduled tribes, the erstwhile National

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

Financial Development Corporation was

bifurcated and National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation

(NSTFDC) was set up in April, 2001 under the

Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

The NSTFDC has been granted license under

Section 25 of the Companies Act (A Company

not for profit). It is not a Constitutional body.

In order to achieve the mandate set for the NSTFDC, (for undertaking self employment

ventures/activities) financial assistance is

extended by NSTFDC to the scheduled tribes,

who are having annual family income upto

double the poverty line. NSTFDC also

provides financial assistance as grant for skill and entrepreneurial development of the target

group.

Ans:12)(c)

Explanation: The Indus System of Rivers comprises three Western Rivers – the Indus,

the Jhelum and Chenab and three Eastern

Rivers – the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi.

With minor exceptions, the treaty gives India

rights of exclusive use of all of the waters of

the Eastern Rivers and their tributaries before the point where the rivers enter

Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan has rights of

exclusive use of the Western Rivers.

Ans:13)(b) Explanation: Hodeidah is a red sea port city

located in Yemen held by the Houthi rebels.

Rebel held Hodeidah port is a key entry point

for imports and vital for the flow of

humanitarian aid.

Ans:14)(d)

Explanation:

Kimberly Process aims to prevent the flow

of conflict diamonds (rough diamonds used to

finance the conflicts and topple the

established government), while helping to protect legitimate trade in rough diamonds.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

(KPCS) outlines the rules that govern the

trade in rough diamonds.

KP is a binding agreement that has developed

a set of minimum requirements that each

participant must meet.

India is a member of KP.

India has been appointed as the Kimberly

Process (KP) Vice Chair for 2018 & Chair for

2019.

Ans:15)(c)

Inclusive Wealth Report (IWR) is a biennial

effort led by the UN Environment and its

partners.

It provides important insights into long-term

economic growth and human well-being through the Inclusive Wealth index, a tool

assessing a nation’s ability to look after its

wealth in a way that is sustainable and

safeguards its future generations.


Ans:16)(a)

Explanation:

Kerch Strait is a strait connecting the Black

Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the

Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar

Krai in the East.

It is used by both Ukraine and Russia.

Recently, three Ukrainian naval ships were seized by Russia, as they attempted to pass through the narrow Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov, which lies between Russia and Ukraine.

Ans:17)(c) Explanation:

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC) is a permanent,

intergovernmental Organization, created at

the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran,

Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

It was later joined by other members such as Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962), Libya (1962),

the United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria

(1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Gabon

(1975), Angola (2007), Equatorial Guinea

(2017) and Congo (2018).

OPEC had its headquarter in Geneva,

Switzerland, in the first five years of its existence. This was moved to Vienna, Austria,

on September 1, 1965.

Ans:18)(a)

Explanation: The International Court of

Justice (ICJ) was established in 1945 with its seat at The Hague, Netherlands. It has the

jurisdiction to settle disputes between

countries and examine cases pertaining to

violation of human rights.

According to the tenets of international law, it cannot prosecute individuals. Despite having

no binding force, the Court’s advisory

opinions carry great legal weight and moral

authority.

Contrary to ICJ, International Criminal Court

(ICC) is a permanent tribunal created to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes

against humanity, war crimes and the crime

of aggression. Its judgments, are binding for

the parties. While ICJ is the primary judicial

arm of the UN, the ICC is legally and functionally independent from the United

Nations.

Ans:19)(c)

Explanation: UNSC Sanctions Committee

decides the types of sanction to be imposed against any state of organisation. These

sanctions can be comprehensive economic

and trade sanctions, arms embargoes, travel

bans, and financial or commodity

restrictions. It includes enforcement

measures that do not use armed force.

Today, there are 14 ongoing sanctions

regimes which focus on supporting political settlement of conflicts, nuclear non-

proliferation, and counter-terrorism. Each

regime is administered by a sanctions

committee chaired by a non-permanent

member of the Security Council. There are 10

monitoring groups, teams and panels that support the work of 11 of the 14 sanctions

committees.

Ans:20)(a)

Explanation: LEMOA stands for Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement

(LEMOA) gives access, to both countries, to

designated military facilities on either side for

the purpose of re-fuelling and replenishment.

The agreement covers four areas- port calls,

joint exercises, training and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. COMCASA is

one of three foundational agreements that

guide US high technology cooperation in

defence sector with other countries. It was

earlier called CISMOA. This is not a basing agreement. There will be

no basing of the U.S. troops or assets on

Indian soil. This is purely a logistical

agreement.

Ans:21)(b) Explanation: Montenegro and Turkey are

the members of NATO. Macedonia’s

membership talk is in advance stage but

officially has not become the member yet.

Cyprus is not the member of NATO.

Ans:22)(b)

Explanation: The International Whaling

Commission (IWC) is the global body charged

with the conservation of whales and the

management of whaling. The IWC also works to address a wide range of conservation

issues including by catch and entanglement,

ocean noise, pollution and debris, collision

between whales and ships, and sustainable

whale watching. It is the global intergovernmental body charged with the

conservation of whales and the management

of whaling. It is not associated with UNO.

Japan has withdrawn from the International

Whaling Commission (IWC) membership

recently.

Ans:23)(c)

Explanation: India has recently banned

Chinese milk products including chocolates

due to report of Melamine contamination. Melamine is a by-product of the coal

industry. Melamine is a chemical compound

that has a number of industrial uses.


Melamine is illegally added to inflate the

apparent protein content of food products.

Because it is high in nitrogen, the addition of

melamine to a food apparently increases the protein content as measured with standard

tests.

Ans:24)(c)

Explanation: The Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) has free trade agreements with six partners namely People’s

Republic of China (ACFTA), Republic of Korea

(AKFTA), Japan (AJCEP), India (AIFTA) as well

as Australia and New Zealand (AANZFTA).

The RCEP negotiations were launched by Leaders from 10 ASEAN Member States

(Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,

Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet

Nam) and six ASEAN FTA partners (Australia,

People’s Republic of China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and New Zealand) during

the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related

Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in

November 2012.

Ans:25)(c)

Explanation: India and Pakistan has recently

exchanged the list of nuclear installations

and facilities covered under the Agreement on

the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear

installations between them. Under the 1988 agreement, the two countries inform each

other of nuclear installations and facilities on

the first of January every year.

Ans:26)(d) Explanation: The First World Conference on

Doping in Sport held, in Lausanne,

Switzerland, in 1999. Pursuant to the terms

of the Lausanne Declaration, the World Anti-

Doping Agency (WADA) was established on

November 10, 1999, in Lausanne to promote and coordinate the fight against doping in

sport internationally.

WADA’s key activities include scientific

research, education, development of anti-

doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code. It is an international

independent agency funded equally by the

sport movement and governments of the

member states.

Ans:27)(d) Explanation: USA President signed into law

the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA).

The act establishes a multifaceted U.S.

strategy to increase U.S. security, economic

interests, and values in the Indo-Pacific region. It allocates a budget of $1.5 billion

over a five-year period to enhance cooperation

with America’s strategic regional allies in the

region.

Ans:28)(a) Explanation: Article 14 of the Paris

Agreement requires the Conference of the

Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties

to the Paris Agreement (CMA) to periodically

take stock of the implementation of the Paris

Agreement and to assess collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the

Agreement and its long-term goals.

This process is called the global stocktake.

The global stocktake shall be conducted in a

comprehensive and facilitative manner, considering mitigation, adaptation and the

means of implementation and support, and in

the light of equity and the best available

science. The CMA will undertake the first

global stocktake in 2023 and every five years

thereafter, unless otherwise decided by the CMA.

Ans:29)(c) Explanation: Arjuna Award:

The award was instituted in 1961. To be

eligible for the award, a sportsperson should have not only good performance consistently

for the previous four years at the

international level with excellence for the year

for which award is recommended, but should

have also shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline. Not

more than fifteen awards are given every year. Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement:

This award was instituted in 2002. This

award is given to honour those sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their

performance and continue to contribute to

promotion of sports even after their

retirement from active sporting career. Not

more than three awards are given every year. Dronacharya Award:

This award was instituted in 1985 to honour

eminent coaches who have successfully

trained sportspersons or teams and enabled

them to achieve outstanding results in

international competitions.. Not more than five awards are given every year. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's

highest award in cinema (and not sports). It

is presented annually at the National Film

Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The recipient is honoured for their

"outstanding contribution to the growth and

development of Indian cinema”.


Ans:30)(b)

Explanation: The term scheduled tribe is

defined in the Constitution of India under

Article 366(25) as such tribes or tribal communities or parts of groups within such

tribes or tribal communities as are deemed

under Article 342 to be scheduled tribes for

the purposes of this Constitution.

Article 342 prescribes the procedure to be

followed in the matter of specification of scheduled tribes. In terms of Article 342(1),

the President may, with respect to any state

or union territories, and where it is a state,

after consultation with the Governor thereof,

notify tribes or tribal communities or parts thereof as scheduled tribes.

Ans:31)(b)

Explanation: Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is an

estuarine mangrove habitat, which is

declared as the bird sanctuary, and located on western tip of the Island of Chorao along

the Mandovi River, Goa, in India. The

sanctuary is named after Salim Ali, the

eminent Indian ornithologist.

Ans:32)(d)

Explanation: Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran

Yojana (AMSY) is an exclusive scheme for the

economic development of ST (and not SC)

women at a highly concessional rate of

interest. Under the scheme NSTFDC (National

Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development

Corporation) provides term loan for

scheme(s)/ project(s) costing upto Rs

50,000/- per individual unit/profit centre. Financial assistance up to 99 per cent of the

cost of the scheme(s)/project(s) is provided by

the NSTFDC.

Ans:33)(b)

Explanation: The present Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) strategy was initially developed by an

Expert Committee set up by the Ministry of

Education and Social Welfare in 1972 for

rapid socio-economic development of tribal

people and was adopted for the first time in the Fifth Five Year Plan.

The TSP strategy, with some modifications,

continues till this day and the salient features

with respect to TSP for states, are: The funds

provided under the Tribal Sub Plan of the

state have to be at least equal in proportion to the ST population of each state or UT;

tribals and tribal areas of a state or union

territories are given benefits under the TSP,

in addition to what percolates from the overall

Plan of a state/UT; The Sub-Plan should; a) identify the problems and need of tribal

people and critical gaps in their development;

b) identify all available resources for TSP; c)

prepare a broad policy framework for

development; e) define a suitable

administrative strategy for its

implementation; and f) specify the mechanism for monitoring and evaluation.

Ans:34)(d)

Explanation: The Scheduled Tribes and

Other Traditional Forest Dwellers

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 seeks to recognize and vest the forest rights and

occupation in forest land in forest dwelling

scheduled tribes and other traditional forest

dwellers who have been residing in such

forests for generations but chose rights on ancestral lands and their habitat were not

adequately recognized in the consolidation of

state forests during the colonial period as well

as in independent India resulting in historical

injustice to them. The Act has been notified

for operation with effect from December 31, 2007.

As per the Act, the responsibility for

recognition and vesting of forest rights and

distribution of land rights rests with the state

government.

Ans:35)(c)

Explanation: The main kharif crop of

Chattisgarh is paddy which is about 76 per

cent of total kharif crops. Apart from it other

main crops grown here are maize, soyabean, groundnut, urdbean and pigeon pea.

Similarly main rabi crops grown here are

wheat, gram, lathyrus, mustard and linseed.

Lathyrus is considered as drought-tolerant

hardy crop, and is grown in low-rainfall regions under rainfed conditions, during

winter when lentil and chickpea are not

expected to give good yields. The crop has

unique tolerance ability against stress

environmental conditions not only drought

but also for water logging.

Ans:36)(d)

Explanation: The Konkan Railway was the

missing link between India’s commercial

capital, Mumbai, and Mangalore. The 741-kilometre line connects Maharashtra, Goa

and Karnataka States — a region of criss-

crossing rivers, plunging valleys and

mountains that soar into the clouds.

Ans:37)(c) Explanation: The Prime Minister’s New 15-

Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities

was announced in 2006. The objectives of the

programme are: (a) enhancing opportunities

for education, (b) ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and

employment, through existing and new

schemes, enhanced credit support for self-


employment and recruitment to state and

central government jobs, (c) improving the

conditions of living of minorities by ensuring

an appropriate share for them in infrastructure development schemes, (d)

prevention and control of communal

disharmony and violence. An important aim

of the new programme is to ensure that the

benefits of various government schemes for

the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged sections of the minority communities.

Ans:38)(d)

Explanation: The Rights of Persons with

Disabilities Act, 2016 notified in 2016, have recognized 21 disabilities. The types of

disabilities have been increased from existing

7 to 21 and the Central Government will have

the power to add more types of disabilities.

The 21 disabilities are given below:-

1. Blindness 2. Low-vision

3. Leprosy Cured persons

4. Hearing Impairment (deaf and hard of hearing)

5. Locomotor Disability

6. Dwarfism 7. Intellectual Disability

8. Mental Illness

9. Autism Spectrum Disorder

10. Cerebral Palsy

11. Muscular Dystrophy

12. Chronic Neurological conditions 13. Specific Learning Disabilities

14. Multiple Sclerosis

15. Speech and Language disability

16. Thalassemia

17. Hemophilia 18. Sickle Cell disease

19. Multiple Disabilities including deaf-blindness

20. Acid Attack victim

21. Parkinson's disease

Ans:39)(a) Explanation: National Water Mission is one

of the missions under NAPCC.

As most of the rivers in the country are inter-

State, the regulation and development of

waters of these rivers, is a source of inter-State differences and disputes. In the

Constitution, water is a matter included in

Entry 17 of List-II i.e. State List. This entry is

subject to the provision of Entry 56 of List-I

i.e. Union List.

Ans:40)(b)

Explanation: The National Water Resources

Council (NWRC) was set up in March, 1983.

The Prime Minister is the Chairman and

Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation is the

Vice-Chairman of the Council.

Ans:41)(b)

Explanation: It is a centrally sponsored

scheme and not central sector.

Command Area Development (CAD) programme was launched in 1974-75 for

development of adequate delivery system of

irrigation water up to farmers’ field with an

objective to enhance water use efficiency and

production and productivity of crops per unit

of land and water for improving socio-economic condition of farmers. The

programme envisages integration of all

activities relating to irrigated agriculture in a

coordinated manner with multi-disciplinary

team under a Command Area Development Authority. Initially, 60 major and medium

irrigation projects were taken up under the

CAD programme, covering a Culturable

Command Area (CCA) of about 15 million

hectare. The programme was restructured

and renamed as Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM)

Programme in 2004. The programme is being

implemented under Pradhan Mantri Krishi

Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) -Har Khet Ko Pani -

from 2015-16.

Ans:42)(a)

Explanation: Central Ground Water Board

was constituted as Central Ground Water

Authority (CGWA) under sub- Section (3) of

Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 in 1997 for regulation and control of

ground water management and development

in the country. As part of streamlining the

regulatory function of CGWA, district

magistrates / deputy commissioners of revenue districts (and not Chief Ministers)

were appointed as authorized officers for

grant of permission for extraction of ground

water for drinking/domestic uses in notified

areas. They have been advised to process

requests for grant of permission for extraction of ground water for drinking/domestic

purposes in notified areas as per guidelines

issued by CGWA.

Ans:43)(d) Explanation: Department of Science and

Technology launched several initiatives for

women in science under its flagship scheme

namely KIRAN (Knowledge Involvement in

Research Advancement through Nurturing).

Through this unique initiative, DST provides opportunity to women scientists who had

break in their career, primarily due to family

reasons, to pursue research in physical &

mathematical sciences, chemical sciences, life

sciences, earth & atmospheric sciences and engineering technology.

Innovation in science pursuit for inspired

research (INSPIRE) is an ongoing initiative for


attraction of talent for science and research.

Science camps of 5 days duration are

organised to provide opportunity to class XI

students pursuing science to interact with the science icons from India and abroad

including Nobel Laureates to experience the

joy of innovations.

National Initiative for Developing and

Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) has been

evolved as an umbrella scheme for a seamless innovation ecosystem booster. Major links of

the innovation to market value chain would

be supported and strengthened at various

nodes (each node signifying a cluster of 3

neighbouring districts) across the country to attain the mission of nation building through

innovation, entrepreneurship and incubation.

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)

Policy unveiled in 2013 includes a thrust for

innovations in science and technology sector.

STI policy reveals an aspiration to gain global competitiveness and link science sector to the

developmental agenda of the country.

Science, research and innovation system for

high technology led path for India (SRISHTI)

is the main policy goal.

Ans:44)(a)

Explanation: Government of India, as the

part of poverty reduction strategy, launched

the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana

(PMGSY) 2000 as a centrally sponsored scheme to assist the states, though rural

roads are in the state list under the

Constitution.

The primary objective of scheme is to provide

connectivity by way of an all-weather road (with necessary culverts and cross-drainage

structures, which is operable throughout the

year), to the eligible unconnected habitations

as per core-network with a population of 500

persons (as per 2001 census) and above in

plain areas. In respect of ‘Special Category States’ (North-

East, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and

Kashmir and Uttarakhand), the desert areas,

the tribal (Schedule V) areas and 88 selected

tribal and backward districts, the objective is to connect eligible unconnected habitations

as per Core-Network with a population of 250

persons and above (census 2001).

Hence second statement is wrong because the

scheme covers Special Category States.

Ans:45)(a)

Explanation: Namami Gange Programme is

an initiative of Ministry of Water Resources

(MOWR), comprising making villages on the

bank of river Ganga ODF and interventions dealing with solid and liquid waste

management are being implemented by

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

(MDWS). All 4470 villages located across 52

districts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,

Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal has since

been made ODF by MDWS with active help of state governments.

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

(MoDWS) identified 1674 Gram Panchayats

situated on the bank of River Ganga in 5

State (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,

Jharkhand, West Bengal). Rs 578 Crores has been released to Ministry of Drinking Water

and Sanitation (MoDWS) for construction of

toilets in 1674 Gram Panchayats of 5 Ganga

Basin States. Out of the targeted 15, 27,105

units, MoDWS has completed construction of 8, 53,397 toilets. Consortium of 7 IITs has

been engaged in the preparation of Ganga

River basin Plan and 65 villages have been

adopted by 13 IITs to develop as model

villages. UNDP has been engaged as the

executing agency for rural sanitation programme and to develop Jharkhand as a

model State at an estimated cost of Rs. 127

Crore.

Ans:46)(c) Explanation: Prime Minister of India is the

Chairperson. The Governing Council

comprises the Chief Ministers of all the

states, Chief Ministers of union territories

with legislatures (and not all UTs), viz., Delhi

and Puducherry and Lt. Governors of other union territories.

Experts, specialists and practitioners with

relevant domain knowledge as special invitees

nominated by the Prime Minister. The full

time organizational framework will consist of, in addition to the Prime Minister as

Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson is to be

appointed by the Prime Minister. Full time

and part-time members will be maximum of

2, from leading universities, research

organizations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity.

Part time members will be on a rotational

basis. Ex officio Members will be maximum of

4 members of the Union Council of Ministers

to be nominated by the Prime Minister. Chief Executive Officer is to be appointed by the

Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank

of Secretary to the Government of India.

Ans:47)(a)

Explanation: NITI Aayog has initiated the process to develop identified islands for

maritime trade, shipping, fisheries, eco-

tourism, under-sea mining, oil and gas and

other socio-economic activities. It also aims to

replace the use of diesel by promoting non-conventional energy sources such as solar

energy, wind energy, tidal energy, ocean

thermal energy etc., in the islands.


NITI Aayog, in consultation with concerned

central ministries/departments, UT

administrations and other stakeholders, has

short-listed 10 islands for holistic development in the first phase viz., Smith,

Ross, Long, Avis, and Little Andaman in

Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Minicoy,

Bangaram, Tinnakara, Cheriyam and Suheli

in Lakshadweep.

Ans:48)(d)

Explanation: The structure and functions of

subordinate courts are more or less uniform

throughout the country. Designations of

courts connote their functions. These courts deal with all disputes of civil or criminal

nature as per the powers conferred on them.

These courts follow two important codes

prescribing procedures, i.e., the Code of Civil

Procedure, 1908 and the Code of Criminal

Procedure, Cr. P.C., 1973 and further strengthened by state level amendments.

Under Article 235 of the Constitution of India,

the administrative control over the members

of subordinate judicial service vests with the

concerned High Court. Further in exercise of powers conferred under provision to Article

309 read with Articles 233 and 234 of the

Constitution, the state government shall

frame rules and regulations in consultation

with the High Court exercising jurisdiction in

relation to such state.

Ans:49)(c)

Explanation: The TIWB initiative intended to

support developing countries to strengthen

national tax administrations through building audit capacity and to share this knowledge

with other countries.

It is jointly launched by UNDP and OECD.

The Union Cabinet has recently approved the

Signing of Terms of Reference (TOR)

governing the engagement of the designated Indian Expert to provide tax assistance to

Swaziland (now known as Eswatini) under

the Tax Inspectors without Borders

Programme between India and Eswatini.

India being a global leader in this respect has a very important role to play in South-South

Cooperation in tax matters.

Ans:50)(b)

Explanation: The Kuriles are an archipelago

of some 56 islands spanning about 1,800 km from Japan’s Hokkaido to Russia’s

Kamchatka. All of them are under Russian

jurisdiction but Japan claims the two large

southernmost islands, Etorofu and

Kunashiri, and two others, Shikotan and Habomai, as its ‘northern territories’.

Ans:51)(c)

Explanation: The Global Financial Stability

Report (GFSR) is a semi-annual report by the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) that assesses the stability of global financial

markets and emerging-market financing. It is

released twice per year, in April and October.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is releasing

the Financial Stability Report bi-annually.

Ans:52)(b)

Explanation: Gabon is a country on the west

coast of Central Africa. Located on the

equator, Gabon is bordered by Equatorial

Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east

and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the

west.

Ans:53)(d)

Explanation:

Industrial Security Annex is planned to be signed between India and the U.S.

It allows sharing of classified information

from the U.S. government and American

companies with the Indian Private sector,

which is so far limited to the Indian

government and the defence public sector

undertakings under the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

BECA refers to Basic Exchange and

Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial

Cooperation.

BECA agreement would facilitate exchange of

geospatial information between India and

United States for both military and civilian use. This agreement has not been signed yet

between India and USA.

Ans:54)(c)

Explanation:


Ans:55)(c)

Explanation: “Macedonia Naming Dispute” is

a longstanding dispute between Greece and

the Republic of Macedonia.

Ans:56)(a)

Explanation: World Economic

Forum’s Global Risks Report 2019 is

published against a backdrop of worrying

geopolitical and geo-economic tensions. If unresolved, these tensions will hinder the

world’s ability to deal with a growing range of

collective challenges, from the mounting

evidence of environmental degradation to the

increasing disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Global Risks Report 2019 provides an

opportunity to place the global risk landscape

into context at the beginning of the new year

and identify priority areas for action in 2019.

Ans:57)(a)

Explanation: The Taiwan Strait or Formosa

Strait separates the island of Taiwan from

mainland China.

The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north.

Ans:58)(b)

Explanation: European Union leaders

approved a withdrawal deal with the UK that

includes an agreement on the Irish border. Both sides committed to avoiding the return

of a "hard border" - physical checks or

infrastructure - after Brexit. The backstop is

a position of last resort, to maintain an open

border on the island of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU without securing

an all-encompassing deal. At present, goods

and services are traded between the two

jurisdictions on the island of Ireland with few

restrictions.

Ans:59)(d)

Explanation: The Mission Indradhanush

aims to cover all those children by 2020 who

are either unvaccinated, or are partially

vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases. India’s Universal Immunisation

Programme (UIP) provide free vaccines

against 12 life threatening diseases, to 26

million children annually. The Universal

Immunization Programme provides life-saving

vaccines to all children across the country free of cost to protect them against

Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus,

Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis

due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib),

Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea (Rubella, JE and

Rotavirus vaccine in select states and

districts).

Ans:60)(d)

Explanation: “MAA-Mother’s Absolute

Affection” which is an intensified programme

was launched in 2016 in an attempt to bring undiluted focus on promotion of

breastfeeding. The goal of the MAA

programme is to revitalize efforts towards

promotion, protection and support of

breastfeeding practices through health

systems to enhance breastfeeding rates. The key components of the programme are –

awareness generation, promotion of

breastfeeding and inter personal counselling

at community level, skilled support for

breastfeeding at delivery points, monitoring and award/recognition.

Ans:61)(b)

Explanation: The Eight Core Industries

comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of

items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The respective weightage of

each of the eight industries in the Index of

eight core industries are as follows:

Sector Weight

Coal 10.3335

Crude Oil 8.9833

Natural Gas 6.8768

Refinery Products 28.0376

Fertilizers 2.6276

Steel 17.9166

Cement 5.3720

Electricity 19.8530

Ans:62)(a) Explanation: As the national investment

promotion and facilitation agency, Invest

India focuses on sector-specific investor

targeting and development of new

partnerships to enable sustainable

investments in India. In addition to a core team that focuses on sustainable

investments, Invest India also partners with

substantial investment promotion agencies

and multilateral organizations. Invest India

also actively works with several Indian states

to build capacity as well as bring in global best practices in investment targeting,

promotion and facilitation areas.

Invest India, set up in 2009, is a non-profit

venture (and not a statutory body) under the

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and

Industry, Government of India.

Ans:63)(b)

Explanation: The periodic readjustment of

the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies is mandatory in a representative system

where single-member constituencies are used

for electing political representatives. The


electoral boundaries are drawn on the basis

of the last published census figures and are

relatively equal in population. Equally

populous constituencies allow voters to have an equally weighted vote in the Legislature.

Electoral constituencies that vary greatly in

population—a condition called

“malapportionment”—violate a central tenet

of democracy, namely, that all voters should

be able to cast a vote of equal weight.

Ans:64)(d)

Explanation: There was a nationwide protest

in France over high living costs that led to

widespread rioting in Paris and are hurting the economy. The “yellow vest revolt” erupted

in Nov. 2018, posed a formidable challenge to

the French PM Emmanuel Macron.

Ans:65)(d)

Explanation: FGD is a set of technologies used to remove sulphur-dioxide (SO2) from

exhaust flue gases of fossil- fuel power plants,

as well as from the emissions of other SOx

emitting processes.

Common methods used in it are wet scrubbing method, Wet and Dry lime

scrubbing method, Spray-dry scrubbing

method, SNOX method, Dry sorbent injection

method, etc.

For a typical coal-fired power station, FGD

system may remove 90% or more of the SO2 in the flue gases. SO2 emissions are a

primary contributor to acid rain and have

been regulated by every industrialized nation

in the world.

During wet lime injection, a slurry of limestone (CaCO3) is sprayed into the spray

column. The presence of SO2 causes gypsum

(CaSO4.2H2O) to be produce.

Spray dry scrubbers are the second most

widely used method to control SO2 emissions

in utility coal-fired power plants. Wet scrubbing requires considerable equipment,

and alternatives to wet scrubbing were

developed including spray dry scrubbers.

This technology is also known as semi-dry

flue gas desulfurization and is generally used for sources that burn low- to medium-sulfur

coal.

The SNOX™ process is an innovative process

which removes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides

and particulates from flue gases. The sulfur is

recovered as commercial grade concentrated sulfuric acid and the nitrogen oxides are

reduced to free nitrogen.

The process is based on catalytic reactions

and does not consume water or absorbents.

Neither does it produce any waste, except for the separated dust.

Ans:66)(a)

Explanation: In pursuance of the

announcement made in the Union Budget

2010–11 and with a view to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for

maintaining financial stability and enhancing

inter-regulatory coordination, Indian

Government has setup an apex-level

Financial Stability and Development Council

(FSDC), vide its notification dated 30th December, 2010. The first meeting of the

Council was held on 31st December, 2010.

Whereas, the Eleventh Finance Commission

was constituted on 3rd July, 1998 with the

mandate to give its report by 31st December, 1999 covering the five year period 2000-2005.

FSDC has replaced the High Level

Coordination Committee on Financial

Markets (HLCCFM), which was facilitating

regulatory coordination, though informally,

prior to the setting up of FSDC. The Chairman of the FSDC is the Finance

Minister of India (and not the Prime Minister).

Ans:67)(b)

Explanation: stratospheric aerosol injection: is a Solar Radiation Management (SRM)

proposal to spray large quantities of inorganic

particles (e.g. sulphur dioxide) into the

stratosphere (the upper layer of the

atmosphere) to act as a reflective barrier

against incoming sunlight. Proposals range from shooting particles from artillery guns,

using large hoses to reach the sky, or

emptying particles from the back of aircrafts.

Ans:68)(d) Explanation: The Appellate Tribunal for

Foreign Exchange was established in 2000

under Section 18 of Foreign Exchange

Management Act (FEMA), 1999.

Section 20 of FEMA provides that the

Appellate Tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson and such number of members as

the Central Government may deem fit. The

jurisdiction of the Appellate Tribunal may be

exercised by the Benches. The Bench may be

constituted by the Chairperson, with one or more Members as the Chairperson deems fit.

If at any stage it appears that the matter

should be heard by a Bench of two Members

the Chairperson may transfer the matter to

such Bench as he deems fit. A person who is

qualified to be a Judge of a High Court or is or has been a Judge of High Court can be

appointed as Chairperson of the Tribunal and

a person who has been or is qualified to be a

District Judge can be appointed as a Member

of the Tribunal.


Ans:69)(c)

Explanation: The Central Reserve Police

Force came into existence as Crown

Representative’s Police on 27th July 1939. It became the Central Reserve Police Force on

enactment of the CRPF Act on 28th December

1949. It has completed 79 years of glorious

history.

The CRPF has also been deployed

internationally at Kosovo, Haiti and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, two CRPF Battalions

and one company of Mahila Battalion were a

part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Ans:70)(d) Explanation: The first Delimitation

Commission in India was constituted in

1952, the second in 1962 and the third in the

year 1973. The third delimitation exercise—

based on 1971 census—was completed in the

year 1975. The present delimitation, based on 2001 census, has been undertaken after 30

years. Thus there is no such requirement for

its conduct every 10 years.

The Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment)

Act, 2001 enacted in 2002 has effected the aforesaid policy decisions of the Government.

Pursuant to the enactment of the

Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment) Act,

2001 which provided for readjustment of

electoral constituencies, including those

reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled tribes, the Delimitation Act, 2002

was enacted. The Delimitation Commission

had accordingly been constituted in 2002

under the provisions of the Delimitation Act,

2002 with Shri Justice Kuldip Singh, a retired judge of the Supreme Court as its

Chairperson (not the Chief Election

Commission) and Shri B.B. Tandon, Election

Commissioner in the Election Commission of

India and the State Election Commissioner as

its members.

Ans:71)(b)

Explanation: The Cabinet Committee of

Economic Affairs Chaired by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi today gave its approval for the creation of a corpus of Rs. 2000 crore for

Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund (AMIF) to be

created with NABARD for development and

up-gradation of agricultural marketing

infrastructure in Gramin Agricultural

Markets and Regulated Wholesale Markets. AMIF will provide the State/UT Governments

subsidized loan (and not grants) for their

proposal for developing marketing

infrastructure in 585 Agriculture Produce

Market Committees (APMCs) and 10,000 Grameen Agricultural Markets (GrAMs).

After approval of AMIF Scheme, the interest

subsidy will be provided by DAC&FW to

NABARD in alignment with annual budget

releases during 2018-19 and 2019-20 as well

as upto 2024-25.

Ans:72)(a)

Explanation: The Central Government has

announced the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam

Utthaan Mahabhiyan or KUSUM scheme

which aims at furthering the production of

solar power in India and also give the benefits of solar farming to farmers.

Kusum Scheme is implemented by the

Ministry responsible for this scheme is the

New and Renewable Energy Ministry.

Initially, the government will distribute 1.75

million off-grid agricultural solar pumps.

10000 Mega Watts Solar plants will be put up

on lands that are barren.

The state electricity distribution companies, also called, DISCOMS will buy the additional

solar power produced by the farmers on

barren lands. DISCOMS will get sops to buy

this electricity.

Tube wells and existing pumps of the

government will be converted to run on solar power.

Farmers will get a subsidy of 60% on solar

pumps. It shall be deposited to their bank

accounts directly. This subsidy is going to be

shared by the central and the state

governments. 30% of the cost will be obtained

as a bank loan. Hence, only the rest 10% will have to be borne by the farmers themselves.

There is no such provision of Priority sector

lending under the KUSUM Scheme.

Ans:73)(c)

Explanation: IPV is produced from wild-type poliovirus strains of each serotype that have

been inactivated (killed) with formalin. As an

injectable vaccine, it can be administered

alone or in combination with other vaccines

(e.g., diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenza). Generally

three spaced doses are administered to

generate adequate levels of seroconversion,

and most countries, a booster dose is added

during late childhood.

IPV provides serum immunity to all three types of poliovirus, resulting in protection

against paralytic poliomyelitis.

In concurrence with the World Polio End

Game strategy, IPV was introduced in

November 2015 in six states and expanded throughout the country by June 2016.

Ans:74)(c)

Explanation: Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana is

scheme for providing Physical Aids and

Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category. This is a Central


Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Central

Government. The expenditure for

implementation of the scheme will be met

from the "Senior Citizens' Welfare Fund". The Scheme will be implemented through the sole

implementing agency - Artificial Limbs

Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU

under the Ministry of Social Justice and

Empowerment.

It is not related to provision of tertiary healthcare services.

Ans:75)(c)

Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

while addressing Petrotech@2019 in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, called Ujwalla

scheme a Blue Flame Revolution.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) aims

to safeguard the health of women & children

by providing them with a clean cooking fuel –

LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in

unsafe areas collecting firewood.

The scheme is implemented by Ministry of

Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Ans:76)(c)

Explanation: The Barak sub-basin drains

areas in India, Bangladesh and Burma. It is

be on the north by the Barail range

separating it from the Brahmaputra sub-

basin, on the east by the Naga Lushai hills and on the south and west by Bangladesh.

The sub-basin lies in the States of Meghalaya,

Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Tripura and

Nagaland.

Ans:77)(b)

Explanation: Jharkhand is bounded by West

Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh and

Chhattisgarh in the west, Bihar in the north

and Odisha in the south.

Ans:78)(c)

Explanation: It was established in December,

2006, subsequent to the first Asia Pacific

Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban

Development (AMCHUD), held at New Delhi. The objectives of APMCHUD are enshrined in

the ‘Delhi Declaration’ adopted unanimously

by the countries participating in the

conference from the Asia Pacific Region. India

was the first Chair of the APMCHUD.

The APMCHUD is third of such bodies created under the aegis of UN-Habitat after

the Assembly of Ministers of Housing and

Urban Development of Latin American

Countries (MINURVI), established in 1992 as

the representative body for the Latin American region and African Ministerial

Conference for Housing and Urban

Development (AMCHUD) established in 2005

to represent the African region.

Ans:79)(d) Explanation: PTI is a non-profit sharing

cooperative owned by the country’s

newspapers with a mandate top provide

efficient and unbiased news. PTI has also

begun satellite transmission by Ku band

which offers news through cheaper and small size satellite receiver

Ans:80)(a)

Explanation: Ash Track- linking fly ash users

and power plants for better ash utilisation. A Web based monitoring System and a Fly Ash

mobile application named ASH TRACK. These

platforms will enable better management of

the ash produced by thermal power plants by

providing an interface between fly ash

producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as – road

contractors, cement plants etc.

It has been released by Ministry of Power.

Ans:81)(a) Explanation: A species of wood snake that

wasn’t seen for 140 years has resurfaced in a

survey conducted by scientists in the

Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. The species

is endemic to the Meghamalai forests and the

Periyar Tiger Reserve landscape (and not Arunachal Pradesh).

The scientific name of the species is Xylophis

indicus, and it is uniformly dark brown in

colour. Xylophis is a small genus of snakes.

Ans:82)(d)

Explanation: Refractoriness and plasticity

are the two main properties needed in fireclay

for its suitability in the manufacture of

refractory bricks. A good fireclay should also

have a high fusion point (>1,580 °C) and good plasticity. Fireclay containing high alumina

and low iron oxide, lime, magnesia & alkalies

is preferred by refractory manufacturers. The

aluminous (kaolinitic) variety of fireclay is

more refractory because of its hardness and density and absence of iron, giving it a white-

burning colour. The absence of alkalies gives

it a very high fusion temperature.

Ans:83)(b)

Explanation: It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is listed as Endangered by

the IUCN Red List. Their main threat is forest

loss due to expanding cultivation (of coffee,

cardamom, ginger and other species). Their scientific name is Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis.


Ans:84)(b)

Explanation: A joint military exercise

between India and Royal Army of Oman

commenced recently (March 2019) at Jabel regiment headquarters, Nizwa, in the Arab

country.

Last edition of this exercise was held in 2017,

Himanchal Pradesh and the first was

conducted in Muscat, Oman in 2015.

Ans:85)(a)

Explanation: The Experimental Advanced

Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor —

an "artificial sun", by China is designed to

mimic the nuclear fusion process the real Sun uses to generate energy.

Recently, China stated that it plans to

complete the construction of the “artificial

sun” device HL-2M Tokamak this year.

Ans:86)(c) Explanation: A protective gel called Poly-

Oxime, can be applied on the skin and can

break down toxic chemicals into safe

substances, preventing them from going deep

into the skin. The gel does not act like a physical barrier, but it acts like a catalyst to

deactivate organophosphate present in

human skin. An oxime could hydrolyze

multiple organophosphate molecules, one

after another.

Ans:87)(a)

Explanation: Zearalenone is a fungal toxin

infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and

barley.

It attacks crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored

without being dried fully. Zearalenone

behaves like estrogen, the female sex

hormone, and could cause endocrine

disturbances in humans. Recently, a Journal

of Food Science study detected zearalenone in wheat, rice, corn and oats from markets.

Ans:88)(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:89)(b)

Explanation: TAPAS-BH-201 is a long

endurance Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which used to be previously referred as

Rustom-II.

An indigenously designed and developed

landing gear for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

(UAV)-Rustom II has been successfully tested.

It is a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV designed for carrying out surveillance for the

armed forces.

Ans:90)(c)

Explanation: Hafnium carbide:

Scientists identify world’s most heat resistant material, Hafnium carbide that can withstand

temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius,

the melting point is the highest ever recorded

for a material.

Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they

are extraordinarily resistant to heat.

It will pave way for improved heat resistant

shielding for hypersonic space vehicles and

spacecraft would also become faster than

ever.

Ans:91)(d)

Explanation: BrahMos is a supersonic cruise

missile. BrahMos was flight tested with

an Indian-made seeker for the first time, at Pokhran test range subsequently it enabled of

this technology. The seeker technology is a

critical technology that determines the

accuracy of a missile. So far, the seeker

technology had come from Russia.

The seeker technology, which determines the accuracy of a missile, is a closely guarded

secret. Mastering it is a significant milestone

in missile technology and would reduce

import dependence.

Ans:92)(b)

Explanation: Advanced Landing Grounds

(ALG) are short prepared or unprepared

airstrips close to the borders in the valleys,

which have limited rail or road connectivity

due to challenging terrain. ALGs located strategically offer an opportunity for swift

mobility of troops and equipment close to our

Northern and North Eastern borders. The

challenges faced by pilots in landing at these

ALGs are unpredictable weather, undulating terrain, narrow corridor of manoeuvrings and

short runway lengths.

Ans:93)(b)

Explanation: National Technical Research

Organisation is India’s technical intelligence agency. It is working under the supervision of

the Prime Minister’s Office and the National

Security Adviser. In 2017, ministry of home

affairs through its notification listed NTRO

under The Intelligence Organisations (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1985.The

provisions of the act are,

https://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=rustom+ii

https://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=surveillance


o It prevents employees of a notified agency

from forming unions/associations,

o Puts restrictions on the employee’s freedom of

speech, Bars any communication with the press, or

publishing a book or other document without

the permission of the head of the intelligence

Ans:94)(a)

Explanation: Pralay is a newly developed surface-to-surface tactical missile. It is a

derivative of Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV)

exo-atmospheric interceptor which can

destroy enemy weapons at high altitudes. It is

propelled by solid-fuel rocket. The missile is reportedly capable of carrying a

1000 kg payload and has a range of 350 km.

Its range can be increased to 500 km if the

payload is halved. Work on it started in 2015

after the Army sought a 500-km range SRBM

to go head-to-head against China's rocket force.

Ans:95)(b)

Explanation: INS Kohassa has set up as a

Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB) for surveillance in North Andaman. The station

will function as a base for joint operation of

both military and civil aircraft in keeping with

the UDAN scheme of the government.

Ans:96)(a) Explanation: Project 75(I): The Defence

Acquisition Council (DAC) approved

indigenous construction of six submarines.

This is the second project under the Ministry

of Defence’s ambitious Strategic Partnership (SP) model. Strategic Partnership model

envisages indigenous manufacturing of major

defence platforms by an Indian Strategic

Partner. Indian Strategic Partner will

collaborate with foreign Original Equipment

Manufacturers (OEM) to set up production facilities in the country.

Ans:97)(a)

Explanation: Visualizing Ion Outflow via

Neutral Atom Sensing-2 (VISIONS-2). It is the

mission of NASA to launch a sounding rocket

to get a closer look at how the Earth's

atmosphere is slowly leaking into space.

Ans:98)(d)

Explanation: A patent is an exclusive right

granted for an invention, a new way of doing

something, or a new technical solution to a

problem. To get a patent, technical

information about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent

application. Copyright (or author’s right) is a

legal term used to describe the rights that

creators have over their literary and artistic

works. A trademark is a sign which distinguish the goods or services of one

enterprise from those of other enterprises.

Ans:99)(b)

Explanation: Nearshoring is an outsourcing

model wherein IT firms establish delivery presence in countries and locations closer to

the client geography and depute employees

working in those centers to service clients

whenever there is a need. Indian information

technology (IT) services firms are increasingly looking at nearshoring options to service

clients in the US as H1B visa norms are

becoming tough.

Ans:100)(b)

Explanation: Recently, India has launched a National Challenge for Youths, “Ideate for

India - Creative Solutions using Technology”,

at New Delhi. The aim of this National

Challenge is to give school students across

the country a platform and opportunity to become solution creators for the problems

they see around them and their communities.

The Challenge has been designed and

launched by the National eGovernance

Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT in

collaboration with Intel India, with support from the Department of School Education

and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Human

Resource Development.

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