QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 20 September 2017

Solution: b.

A GK question. Statement ‘a’, ‘c’ and ‘d’ respectively refer to Vietnam’s, Afghanistan’s and Bhutan’s national flags.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/suu-kyi-promises-to-resettle-verified-rohingya-refugees/article19717776.ece;

Solution: c.
A mains-oriented question.
Regarding Statement 1:
• From 2016: (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/india-will-not-ink-hague-treaty-on-civil-aspects-of-child-abduction-4397236/): “We found that there are more cases of Indian women who return to the safety of their homes in India after escaping a bad marriage. Cases of women who are foreign citizens, married to Indian men, going away with their children are far fewer. Hence signing the Hague Convention would be to the disadvantage of Indian women. Also, a majority of such cases pertain to women instead of men running away,” said a WCD official.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development, wary of Indian women being charged or prosecuted in foreign countries, declined to back the draft bill prepared by the Law Commission.
Regarding Statement 2:
• (http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/marital-rape-a-crime-in-many-countries-an-exception-in-many-more-4821403/): The central government recently filed an affidavit in response to pleas seeking criminalising marital rape, arguing that marital rape should not be criminalised, on the ground that it may “destabilise the institution of marriage” and that it would be “and an easy tool for harassing the husbands”. The Centre also cited the Supreme Court and various High Courts’ observations of the growing misuse of section 498A (harassment caused to a married woman by her husband and in-laws) of the IPC.
Source and Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-rethinks-joining-hague-child-custody-pact/article19716400.ece;
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Solution: a.
• About Thyagaraja: Thyagraja’s bhajans, though most popular in Tamil Nadu, are actually in Telugu and some Sanskrit. He is one of the principal composers of the Carnatic trinity.
o Keeping with the Carnatic tradition, an artiste and a listener experience the finer side of music only when they align themselves with the quality of Bhakti. And it is this quality of devotion that many were drawn to Thyagaraja and his music. Subbulakshmi was deeply immersed in the devotional music of Saint Thyagaraja.
About Subbulakshmi’s acting career:
• Subbulakshmi also (apart from her fame for her work in music) acted in several memorable films in 1930s and 40s. Her first movie ‘Seva Sadhanam’ (1938) was on social reform.
• She was married to Thaigaraja Sadasivam (1902-1997), a freedom fighter and journalist. Their association was destined to last for 57 years, and become most fruitful in terms of service to music, arts and literature. In 1940 they together produced a movie Sakuntalai based on Kalidasa’s play (from early first millennium Common Era) Abhijyanam Shakuntalam.
• She also played the leading role in ‘Meera’, based on the life of Mirabai, the 16th century devotee of Lord Krishna from Rajasthan. The Hindi version of Meera was released in New Delhi on December 5, 1947. Sarojini Naidu, after watching the film, said she was happily surrendering to Subbulakshmi the title ‘Nightingale of India’, which she as a poetess had held for decades.

From last year: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=149779;
Improvisation: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=170906;
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Solution: d.
• The strategic partnership model is expected to help build a domestic defence manufacturing base. It will give a boost to the ‘Make in India’ policy in the defence sector and set Indian industry on the path to acquiring cutting-edge capabilities which will contribute to building of self-reliance in the vital sector.
• The new model has four segments —submarines, single-engine fighter aircraft, helicopters and armoured carriers/main battle tanks. Additional segments may be added in the future.
• The model was proposed by the Dhirendra Singh Committee in July, 2015.
• Under it, foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can hold up to a 49% stake in a joint venture with an Indian private firm which will hold the majority of shares.
Some issues with the SP Model:
• “To allow foreign OEMs to provide the most advanced technologies, the partnership arrangement between an Indian owned ‘strategic partner’ company and a foreign OEM needs to provide an opportunity for the foreign OEM to retain control over its proprietary technology,” the USIBC said, noting this wasn’t explicit in the policy document.
• The USIBC also opposed a clause in the new rules that held foreign firms jointly responsible for the quality of the platforms provided to the military, saying legal liability is a significant factor in business decisions. This is because there are concerns about Indian private firms’ lack of experience in the aerospace sector. Only state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. had made planes under license, while some private players were starting from scratch, having never built even an aircraft component.
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/us-defence-firms-want-grip-on-technology-in-make-in-india-plan/article19715826.ece;
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Solution: b.
The same question was posted here earlier.
Coking coal is an essential raw material for steel production. The policy envisages
• increasing per capita steel consumption to 160 kg by 2030, from the present levels of 61 kg
• Reduction on the dependence of imported coking coal
• A crude steel production capacity of 300 million tonnes per year (far lesser than what China’s capacity today is) by 2030. This would translate into additional investment of Rs. 10 lakh Crore by 2030-31.
• adoption of energy efficient technologies in the MSME steel sector to improve the overall productivity & reduce energy intensity
• R&D in the sector through the establishment of Steel Research and Technology Mission of India
• Housing, automobiles and infrastructure to be the major segments that will consume steel.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=161491;
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=170911;
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