1) Answer: A

• None of the drinking water samples randomly collected from across Delhi conforms to the ISO standards of purity in one or more requirements, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) informed the Supreme Court recently.
• It was found as per, IS 10500:2012 specification for Drinking Water.

The standard was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards with the following objectives,

1. To assess the quality of water resources, and
2. To check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply by the concerned authorities.

2) Answer: B

• Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution aims to roll out ‘One Nation-One Card’ with 20 States on board from June 1.
• One of the key advantages of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is that beneficiaries will be able to avail their entitled food grain under the National Food Security Act from any Fair Price Shop located across India.
• The existing card will be accepted across the country to get subsidised food grain.
• No new ration cards are being made under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
• The Centre has designed a standard format for ration cards and has asked state governments to follow the pattern while issuing fresh ration cards.
• For national portability, the state governments have been asked to issue fresh ration card in bi-lingual format, wherein besides the local language, the other language could be Hindi or English.
• The states have also been told to have a 10-digit standard ration card number, wherein first two digits will be state code and the next two digits will be running ration card numbers.

3) Answer: A

• After seven months, the use of social media was allowed in Jammu and Kashmir recently.
• An order said that, Internet connectivity will be made available “with macbinding”.

What is mac-binding?

• Every device has a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware identification number that is unique to it. While accessing the Internet, every device is assigned an IP address.
• Mac-binding essentially means binding together the MAC and IP addresses, so that all requests from that IP address are served only by the computer having that particular MAC address.
• In effect, it means that if the IP address or the MAC address changes, the device can no longer access the Internet.

4) Answer: C

• The meeting between bank employees’ unions and the Indian Banks Association (IBA) on wage negotiations scheduled for February 29.
• It is likely to see the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) accepting the IBA’s latest offer of a 15% hike.
• The UFBU is the umbrella body of nine bank unions.
• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) was formed on September 26, 1946 with 22 members.
• As on April, 2018 the total Membership of the Association is 252.
• It is an association of Indian banks and financial institutions. It is based in Mumbai.
• It is a voluntary association of banks with members from Public Sector, Private Sector, Foreign and Co-operative Banks in India.
• The CII – IBA- Financial Conditions Index (FCI) is based on a quarterly survey of major banks and financial institutions on their expectations of key financial and economic variables determining financial conditions in the Indian economy.
• The CII – IBA, FCI is made up of 4 sub-indices – Cost of Funds Index, Funding Liquidity Index, External Financial Linkages Index, and Economic Activity Index.

5) Answer: D

6) Answer: A

• NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform is organising the Fourth Edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI) 2019 on International Women’s Day, Sunday, 8 March 2020.
• The WTI will recognize 30 finalists and 15 winners will be felicitated.
• On this occasion, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform also completes two years since its inception.
• The Women Transforming India Awards, instituted four years ago, is NITI Aayog’s endeavour to recognise and celebrate stories of exceptional women change makers from across India.
• Since 2018, the Women Transforming India Awards have been hosted under the aegis of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform on the theme of ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’.

7) Answer: A

• National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) is a Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India, with its headquarters at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• The Company is one of the largest integrated Bauxite-Alumina-Aluminium Power Complex in Asia.
• The company is listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange.
• The Alumina Refinery provides alumina to the company’s smelter at Angul and exports the balance alumina to overseas markets through Visakhapatnam Port.

8) Answer: C

• Amid the violence that has rocked Delhi, a Union Territory, a key question being raised is whether or not the government of the National Capital
• Territory of Delhi can take any action to bring law and order under control.
• The NCT of Delhi, under Article 239 AA, has been given a special status, which gives powers of law-making and administration to an elected legislature and the council of ministers.
• The law, however, puts two subjects, public order and police directly under the Union government.
• Even here, there are exceptions. Two sections of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) —129 & 130, give the Executive Magistrate certain powers relating to “unlawful assembly”.
• If a group is found in unlawful assembly under Section 129 CrPC, the Executive Magistrate can issue orders to these persons to disperse.
• If this fails, the magistrate can use the civil force, which is the police.
• If these efforts too fail, the Executive Magistrate, under Section 130 CrPC, can call an officer of the armed forces of the Union to disperse the assembly.
• Therefore, under these two limited powers, the Executive Magistrate, who reports to the Chief Minister, can issue orders relating to public security.

9) Answer: A

• A dam proposed on the River Human (pronounced Hooman) at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district threatens to submerge more than 90 per cent of a 7-km forest area.
• The irrigation project is to be built across Human River in Wainganga/Godavari basin near Sirkada village in Sindewadi tehsil of Chandrapur district.
• The Human River is a tributary of Andhari river, which ultimately joins Wainganga.
• The Wainganga is a river in India originating in the Mahadeo Hills in Mundara, Madhya Pradesh.
• It is a key tributary of the Godavari.

10) Answer: A

• The Union Government has recently declared the National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, home to Gangetic dolphins and 75% population of critically endangered species gharial, as Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• Being declared as Eco Sensitive Zone, construction of resorts, hotels or other residential and industrial activities are prohibited.
• The Sanctuary begins in the Vindhyan Ranges, extends along the Chambal river and ends in Yamuna river.
• It is spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

11) Answer: D

• RaIDer-X, a new Explosive Detection Device, was unveiled at the National Workshop on Explosive Detection (NWED-2020) in Pune recently.
• RaIDer-X has the capability to detect explosives from a stand-off distance.
• The data library can be built in the system to expand its capability to detect a number of explosives in pure form as well as with the contaminants.
• Bulk explosive in concealed condition can also be detected by the device.
• RaIDer-X has been co-developed by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
• High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, is a premier laboratory of DRDO.

12) Answer: C

• Ever since the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests erupted across the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been quite active in filtering out foreigners among the protesters and serving them with ‘Leave India’ notices’.

Precedent:

• In 2019, a Pakistani national was served a leave India notice without specifying the reason behind her facing the action.
• The Delhi High Court in that case had reversed the MHA order saying the government does not have unfettered powers to impose such an order without furnishing reasons.
• Despite fundamental rights being applicable only to the citizens of the country, with respect to Article 21, they can also be extended to foreigners, the court had ruled.

13) Answer: C

Background:

• The Geographical Survey of India (GSI) has recently provided estimates for the amount of gold that can be extracted from a site in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.
• The probable resource is 52,806.25 tonnes of ore, with an average grade of 3.03 grams per tonne, which means the total gold that can be extracted is 160 kg, it said.
• The statement came after news reports stated that the gold available is 3,350 tonnes; the GSI clarified that its estimates are 160 kg.

Location of the site:

• It is near a village called Mahuli, around 70 km from Sonbhadra district’s headquarters of Roberstganj, and just 10 km from Jharkhand.
• The land is mainly forest area and inhabited mostly by tribal’s and members of backward classes.
• Locals said stories of gold underground have been passed down generations, giving rise to the name Sonpahari, the hill where the reserves have been estimated.
• The site is part of the Mahakoshal region that includes parts of UP, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. It is known to be potentially mineral-rich.

14) Answer: B

• A team from National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, has developed a diagnostic system to detect the presence of Merkel cell polyomavirus in Merkel cell carcinoma tumours.
• Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare and aggressive type of Skin Cancer.
• The researchers have developed a test using the CRISPR-CAS12 technology that can identify the virus in the tumour and give off a fluorescence to indicate the presence of the virus.
• This is an important development, both, from the point of view of diagnostics and giving a prognosis for the condition.
• Merkel cell carcinoma is associated with old age, excessive exposure to ultraviolet light and a weak immune system.

15) Answer: D

• Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects.
• Jharkhand has the reputation of being India’s biggest producer of lac.
• The state accounts 58 per cent of the country’s lac produce followed by Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Much of the demand for lac comes from the defence industry, for making ammunitions.
• It is also used in airplanes, furniture polish and perfumes, and in making bangles, imitation fruits and flowers.

16) Answer: D

17) Answer: A

• Guru Ghasi Das was Guru of the Satnami sect in the early 19th century.
• It was Guru Ghasidas to start treating everyone as same in deep forested part of Chhattisgarh.

18) Answer: C

• China has taken over as President of the UN Security Council for the month of March 2020, pledging to promote solidarity and cooperation in this capacity.
• The Security Council was established by the UN Charter.
• Its primary responsibility is to work to maintain international peace and security.
• The council has 15 members: the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
• The council’s presidency is a capacity that rotates every month alphabetically among its 15 members.

19) Answer: D

• Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and is known as ‘The Roof of Africa’.
• At 5,895 metres, it is also the highest single free-standing mountain in the world.
• The mountain is actually a dormant Stratovolcano, located in Tanzania.
• It has three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the highest among the three.

20) Answer: D

21) Answer: A

• Urja Dakshata Information Tool (UDIT) is a first ever initiative taken by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with World Resources Institute (WRI), to facilitate a database on energy efficiency.
• UDIT is a user-friendly platform that explains the energy efficiency landscape of India across industry, appliances, building, transport, municipal and agriculture sectors.
• UDIT will also showcase the capacity building and new initiatives taken up by the Government across the sectors in the increase energy efficiency domain.

22) Answer: C

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has recently launched the star rating programme for Deep Freezer and Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC).

Star Labelling Programme:

• It has been formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, as part of its mandate, under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• Under this Programme, BEE has covered 24 appliances till date including 10 appliances for which it is mandatory.
• Deep Freezers and Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC) were added under the voluntary regime.
• With this, there are 26 appliances now covered under this programme.

23) Answer: A

• Tea gardens in Assam do not follow the Indian Standard Time (IST), which is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka. The local time in Assam’s tea gardens, known as “Tea Garden Time” or Bagantime, is an hour ahead of the IST.
• The system was introduced during British days keeping in mind the early sunrise in this part of the country.
• By and large, the system has subsequently been successful in increasing the productivity of tea garden workers as they save on daylight by finishing the work during daytime, and vice versa.
• Working time for tea labourers in the gardens is generally between 9 a.m. (IST 8 a.m.) to 5 p.m. (IST 4p.m.)
• In 2014, Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi started campaigning for another time zone for Assam and other north-eastern states of India.
• However, the proposal would need to be cleared by the Central Government of India.

24) Answer: B

• The research team of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvanthapuram, an Institute of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology has developed an innovative intracranial flow diverter stent for the treatment of aneurysms of the blood vessels of the brain.
• It is ready for transfer and further testing in animals, followed by human trials.

Background:

• Intracranial aneurysm is a localized ballooning, bulging or dilation of arteries in the brain caused by progressive weakening of the inner muscles of the wall of the blood vessels.
• Spontaneous rupture of the aneurysm can result in bleeding into the space around the brain resulting condition called a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH).
• Subarachnoid haemorrhage can lead to paralysis, coma or death.
• Flow diverters stents when deployed in the artery in the brain bearing the aneurysms, divert blood flow away from the aneurysm, thus reducing the chances of its rupture from the pressure of blood flow.
• Flow diverters have the advantages of being flexible and adaptable to the shape and course of the vessel.
• Also flow diverters promote healing of the vessel wall by removing the constant stress of blood flow on it.

25) Answer: C

• A dam proposed on the River Human (pronounced Hooman) at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district threatens to submerge more than 90 per cent of a 7-km forest area.
• The project not only falls in TATR buffer zone, but also the eco-sensitive zone of Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary closeby.
• It will break the only linking corridor for tiger movement between TATR, Ghodazari and Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuaries in the state of Maharashtra.

26) Answer: A

• Within Kochi Corporation limits, 2,285 houses have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and LIFE Mission (Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment) run by the State government.
• The PMAY and LIFE projects converged in June 2018 in urban local bodies, keeping in mind that the amount from either one scheme would not be sufficient for construction of houses.
• Of the Rs.4 lakh that the converged scheme provides for construction of houses to people who already own land, Rs.1.5 lakh is provided by the Centre, Rs.50,000 by the State and the Rs.2 lakh by the corporation.

27) Answer: D

• In 1986, the Government of India designated February 28 as National Science Day, to commemorate the announcement of the discovery of the “Raman effect”.
• The Raman effect won scientist Sir CV Raman the Nobel Prize for physics in 1930.
• It was also designated as an International Historic Chemical Landmark jointly by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS).
• The theme of this year’s science day is “Women in Science”.
• Raman discovered that when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour.
• CV Raman was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Physics (1930).
• Overall, Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize (Literature) 1913.

28) Answer: A

• Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) is a statutory body established under Land Ports Authority of India Act, 2010.
• It functions under the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs with representation from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Revenue and other stakeholders.
• LPAI also associates with the concerned State Governments and respective Border Guarding Force like Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal and Assam Rifles deployed at the concerned border of India in its work.
• LPAI is mandated to plan, develop, construct, manage and maintain Integrated Check Posts, regulate the functions of various agencies working at such check posts, coordinate with various concerned Ministries, Departments of the Government of India or other agencies for regulating the entry and exit of passengers and goods and establish necessary service facilities.
• The Act gives powers to LPAI to develop, sanitize and manage the facilities for cross-border movement of passengers and goods at designated points along the international borders of India.

29) Answer: A

• The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was launched by the Prime Minister of India, on 22nd January, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana as a comprehensive programme to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and the related issues of empowerment of women over a life-cycle continuum.
• Expanded in a phased manner and currently being implemented in all the 640 districts of the country, BBBP is a step towards the nation’s resolve to accomplish gender equality by promoting and prioritizing the needs and rights of the girl child.
• The scheme is a tri-ministerial initiative of the central government ministries of Women & Child Development, Human Resource Development and Health & Family Welfare.

30) Answer: C

• Astronomers have discovered an asteroid inside Venus’ orbit that not only circles the sun, but is also the second closest object to the star in the solar system, surpassing Venus itself.
• Known as 2020 AV2, this space rock has the smallest aphelion (distance from the sun) and takes just 151 days to orbit the star, according to a statement released by The Virtual Telescope Project.

31) Answer: B

• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO.
• The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships – both accidental pollution and that from routine operations – and currently includes six technical Annexes.
• Special Areas with strict controls on operational discharges are included in most Annexes.
• India is a party to MARPOL 73/78 and has ratified Annexes I to V.

32) Answer: D

• CSIR-National Physical Laboratory has developed a bi-luminescent security ink which glows in red and green colours when illuminated by two different excitation sources at 254 nano meters (nm) and 365 nm, respectively.
• The ink was prepared in a batch of 1kg and given to Bank Note Press (BNP), Dewas, a unit of Security Printing Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL), New Delhi.
• The ink is found comparable to the standards that are in use.
• The formulation can be used to check the authenticity of passports, Government documents, tamper evident labels, identity cards, etc.

33) Answer: A

• Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Academy of Art, was set up by the Government of India on 5 August, 1954, and was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, on 11 March, 1957.
• In pursuance of the objectives set out in the Constitution, the organisation functions through its General Council, Executive Board and other Committees.
• 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.
• It has substantial independence in making decisions related to national and international exhibitions, events and providing financial assistance to artists and art organisations.

34) Answer: C

• CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) is the custodian of Indian Standard Time (IST) and has the responsibility for realization, establishment, maintenance and dissemination of IST through an act of Parliament.
• CSIR-NPL is the custodian of “National Standards” with a responsibility of realization, establishment, up gradation, maintenance and dissemination of standards at par to international level through R and D and latest technology.
• CSIR-NPL’s National Metrology has not only championed in its primary mandate as the custodian of Measurement Standards for the nation but also served the Indian industry, academia and strategic sectors to excel in their endeavours.

35) Answer: D

36) Answer: B

37) Answer: D

• Researchers have recently reported that the swamp wallaby, a marsupial related to the kangaroo, is pregnant throughout its adult life.
• It typically conceives a new embryo days before delivering the new-born from its previous pregnancy.
• The swamp wallaby is likely the only mammal pregnant and lactating all lifelong.
• Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)
• This species is endemic to eastern Australia, where it ranges from Cape York, Queensland in the north, to Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.

How is it possible?

• Female wallabies and kangaroos have two uteri and two separate ovaries.
• At the end of a pregnancy in one uterus, a new embryo develops in the other uterus.
• Kangaroos and wallabies regularly have an embryo in the uterus, a young joey in the pouch, and third semi-dependent young at foot, still drinking its mother’s milk.

Difference between Kangaroo and Swamp Wallaby:

• In kangaroos, the new embryo is conceived a day or two after the previous birth.
• In the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), the new conception happens one or two days before the previous joey is delivered.

What happens after?

• As soon as the mature foetus is born and settles in the pouch, the swamp wallaby arrests the development of the new embryo.
• This is called embryonic diapause, which happens in many animals to pause reproduction until the conditions are right — season, climate, food availability.
• For wallabies, this is also to ensure that the new one is born only when the pouch is free again.
• If this did not happen, the swamp wallaby would be birthing new young every 30 days — it has a short gestation period — and its pouch could not support that.

European brown hare:

• There is only one other mammal, the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus), that conceives additional embryos before giving birth.
• There are, however, two key differences:
• In the hare, the new embryos are conceived in the same uterus that is already supporting foetuses in late stages — which, the researchers note, may be all the more remarkable.
• The other difference is that only the swamp wallaby is pregnant all its life.
• The hare is only pregnant with the possibility of conceiving new embryos during distinct breeding seasons over about 5-6 months of the year.
• The rest of the time it is not pregnant or lactating at all.

38) Answer: A

• National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC) has recently organised the week long Exhibition-cum-Fair “EKAM Fest”.
• EKAM Fest is an effort for promoting entrepreneurship and knowledge among Divyangjan community, generating awareness among society about potentialities of PwDs & providing a major marketing opportunity to PwDs entrepreneurs.
• The word EKAM (Entrepreneurship, Knowledge, Awareness, Marketing) also represents the inclusiveness, oneness and unity which appropriately describe the efforts being put in by NHFDC to develop the marketing platform and aggregation of the products through promotion of entrepreneurship, knowledge sharing, Awareness creation and marketing initiatives amongst the Divyangjan.

National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC):

• It is an Apex corporation under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and is working since 1997.
• It is registered as a company not for profit and provides financial assistance to the Divyangjan/Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan/PwDs) for their economic rehabilitation and provides number of skill development programmes to empower them to grow & sustain their enterprises.
• To empower the Divyang and marginalized groups of the society more closely, NHFDC has taken a step forward and established NHFDC Foundation, this year.
• Recognizing the absence of a connect with the market which hinders fair prices and volumes in sale of the unorganized tiny Divyang entrepreneurs, NHFDC Foundation is making efforts for development of a brand and platform for marketing of products of these determined entrepreneurs.

39) Answer: C

• Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a Statutory Body of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India which promotes and facilitates In –country adoption and regulates Intercountry adoption as Central Authority under the Hague Convention for Inter-country adoptions.
• It is also mandated to frame regulations on adoption related matters from time to time as per Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

40) Answer: C

Psyche Asteroid Mission:

• NASA and SpaceX are coming together for a space mission that involves a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid called Psyche, which is orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
• Psyche Asteroid:
• The Psyche asteroid is considered unique because it appears to largely be made of the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet.
• Metallic cores are believed to be present deep within rocky, terrestrial planets like our Earth.
• However, since these lie unreachable far below the planet’s rocky mantles and crusts, we are unable to reach there.
• So, while we cannot see or measure Earth’s core directly, the mission to Psyche asteroid offers a unique window to scientists.
• It may even reveal the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets in the first place.
• NASA said that the launch of Psyche will include two secondary payloads– Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) and Janus.
• While EscaPADE will study the Martian atmosphere, the Janus will study binary asteroids.
• The mission is led by Arizona State University and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration, testing and mission operations.

41) Answer: A

• Hard ground swamp deer (Barasingha or Rucervus duvaucelii):
• It is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh, is seeing a revival in the Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) after having been perilously close to extinction for a long time.
• The swamp deer is endemic to KNPTR.
• Swam deer are already extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• It is now found only in south- western Nepal and central and north-eastern India.
• There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian Subcontinent.
• The western swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) found in Nepal, southern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) found in central and north India and eastern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) found in the Kaziranga and Dudhwa National Parks.
• The southern swamp deer has hard hooves and is adapted to hard ground.
• The other two subspecies are adapted to swampy areas.

42) Answer: D

• Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is on the Maikal range of the Satpura hills, and is spread over an area of 940 square kilometres between Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• The swamp deer is endemic to KNPTR.

43) Answer: C

• Researchers from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, have devised a new test for fairness of quantum coin or ‘qubit’ (the basic unit of information in a quantum computer) using entanglement theory.

Raman Research Institute (RRI):

• It was founded by Nobel laureate Sir C.V.Raman in 1948 with funds from private sources.
• The main activity of the institute was basic research in selected areas of physics which were of particular interest to Prof. Raman.
• The institute was reorganized in 1972 and started receiving funds from the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India.
• The institute is administered by a Governing Council.
• Currently, the main areas of research are Astronomy and Astrophysics, Liquid Crystals, Theoretical Physics and Optics.

44) Answer: C

• The reintroduction of cheetahs in India can be very useful for the species, and obviously very important for the biodiversity of India’s grassland ecosystems, according to Laurie Marker, the founder of Cheetah Conservation Fund and serves on the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s Cat Specialist Group.
• The country’s last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
• Later, the cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
• An ambitious project to reintroduce cheetah in India has been in the talk and wildlife experts have shortlisted regions for Cheetah reintroduction sites.
• Potential site for the Cheetah Reintroduction in India includes, KunoPalpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, both in Madhya Pradesh, and Shahgarh Landscape in Rajasthan.
• The project focused on relocating cheetah from Namibia in Africa.

45) Answer: C

46) Answer: A

• The European Commission (EC) launched the ‘United for Biodiversity’ coalition made up of zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, national parks, and natural history and science museums from around the world, on World Wildlife Day 2020 celebrated on March 3.
• The coalition offered the opportunity for all such institutions to “join forces and boost public awareness about the nature crisis, ahead of the crucial COP-15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China in October 2020.
• The coalition adopted a common pledge, citing the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment finding that one million species were already at risk of extinction, and appeals to visitors to each of their institutions to “raise their voice for nature.”
• IPBES welcomed the formation of the coalition.

47) Answer: D

• Seven Congress members were recently suspended for unruly behaviour in the Lok Sabha.
• The motion was passed by a voice vote.

Procedure for Suspension of Members of the Parliament:

• The general principle is that it is the role and duty of the Speaker of Lok Sabha to maintain order so that the House can function smoothly.
• In order to ensure that proceedings are conducted in the proper manner, the Speaker is empowered to force a Member to withdraw from the House (for the remaining part of the day), or to place him/her under suspension.

Rule 373 – Speaker’s power to direct a Member to withdraw immediately from the House.

Rule 374 – To deal with more recalcitrant Members Under this rule, Speaker may suspend a member through moving and adopting a motion for suspension.

Rule 374A – This clause was incorporated to skirt around the necessity of moving and adopting a motion for suspension.

• Under this rule, Member shall, on being named by the Speaker, stand automatically suspended from the service of the House for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the session, whichever is less.

Procedure for revocation of a Member’s suspension

• While the Speaker is empowered to place a Member under suspension, the authority for revocation of this order is not vested in her.
• It is for the House, if it so desires, to resolve on a motion to revoke the suspension.

In Rajya Sabha

• Unlike the Speaker, the Rajya Sabha Chairman does not have the power to suspend a Member.
• Suspension will only happen through moving and adoption of a motion.

48) Answer: C

• To promote inland water transport in the country as an economical, environment friendly supplementary mode of transport to rail and road, 111 inland waterways (including 5 National Waterways declared earlier) were declared as ‘National Waterways’ under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
• Out of these 111 waterways, 25 NWs are inter-state NWs.
• National Waterway (NW)-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Allahabad to Haldia) in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal; NW-2 (River Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya) in Assam; NW-3 (West Coast Canal from Kottapuram to Kollam along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals) in Kerala, have already been developed with fairway navigational aids, jetties and terminals with mechanized equipment handling facilities for loading and unloading of cargo.
• These NWs are operational and vessels are plying on them.
• In addition, NW-10 (river Amba), NW-68 (river Mandovi), NW-73 (river Narmada), NW-83 (Rajpuri Creek), NW-85 (Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System), NW-91 (Shastri river–Jaigad creek system), NW- 97 (Sunderbans Waterways), NW-100 (river Tapi) and NW-111 (river Zuari) are also operational.

49) Answer: C

• The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established by States to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.
• It was established in Panama City, on 21 April 2012 by 94 Governments.
• It is not a United Nations body.
• However, at the request of the IPBES Plenary and with the authorization of the UNEP Governing Council in 2013, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides secretariat services to IPBES.
• The governing body of IPBES – made up of the representatives of IPBES member States – usually meets once per year.
• India is a member of IPBES since 2012.

50) Answer: A

• The Indore district administration plans to nominate ‘Ger’, a traditional Holi procession, for UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

‘Ger’ or ‘Phag Yatra’:

• It is a procession that is taken out on Rang Panchami in different parts of Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city during the five-day Holi festivities.
• According to experts, the tradition of Ger in Indore was started under the Holkar dynasty, when royals would take to streets to celebrate Holi with the general public.
• The nomination will be sent to UNESCO through Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi, which is the nodal centre for such work in the country.
• UNESCO will take over a year to decide on the matter once the nomination is submitted.