QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 09 January 2019

Solution – C

• The Bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.
• Under the Act, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalisation is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, and for 11 of the previous 14 years.  The Bill relaxes this 11 year requirement to six years for persons belonging to the same six religions and three countries.
• The Bill provides that the registration of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders may be cancelled if they violate any law.

Solution – A

• I R Coelho case – If a law is included in the 9th schedule of the Indian constitution, it can still be examined and confronted in court.
• Waman Rao Case – This case has facilitated in determining a satisfactory way of addressing grievances pertaining to the violation of fundamental rights.
• Minerva mills case – Fortified the idea of the basic structure which was put forward earlier in the Keshavananda Bharti Case.

Solution – D

• Gas hydrates are formed when a gas such as methane gets trapped in well-defined cages of water molecules forming crystalline solids. In terrestrial conditions, gas hydrates are formed naturally under the sea bed and glaciers under high pressure, low temperature conditions. Methane hydrate is a potential source of natural gas.
• IIT Madras – The methane and CO2 hydrates were produced in the lab at very low pressures (ten thousand billionth of atmospheric pressure) and temperature (as low as -263 degree C) to simulate the conditions of deep space.
• Gas hydrates are found in equilibrium under conditions of high pressures and low temperatures. These conditions are found onshore under permafrost in the polar regions and offshore along the continental shelf margins.

Solution – C

• Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history. Also, known as Hansen’s disease (HD), it is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
• It primarily affectsthe nerves of the extremities, the skin, the lining of the nose, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. The disease produces skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. If it isn’t treated, it can cause severe disfigurement and significant disability.
• It is known to occur at all agesranging from early infancy to very old age. It is common in many countries, especially those with a tropical or subtropical climate.

Solution – B

• The union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is compiling this schooling index.
• The Index will assess states on a 1,000 point grading system with 10-20 points per parameter.
• Areas: The 70 indicators will grade state schooling systems on areas like number of existing teacher vacancies, number of direct entry recruitments especially at leadership positions, school infrastructure and so on.
• The Niti Aayog which was earlier developing its own School Education Quality Index, will be using 33 of the 70 criteria under the PGI for their own assessments.