QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz,07 March 2019

Solution: b)

In continuation of the process of engaging the global strategic community in an annual review of India’s opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the second edition of Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) – 2019 was held in New Delhi.

• The idea of an Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) was first conceptualised and conducted in 2018, as the apex level conference of the Indian Navy, organised by the National Maritime Foundation as the Navy’s Knowledge Partner.
• The permanent theme of this annual dialogue is a review of India’s opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The aim is to focus attention on the Indo-Pacific, as a maritime geographical-entity, while deliberating aspects of great relevance to regional geopolitics.

Source

Solution: c)

The Betla National Park is located in Palamu district of Jharkhand state. The North Koyal River and its tributaries flow through the northern portion of the park, producing grasslands.

Solution: d)

The Union Cabinet, has approved National Mineral Policy 2019.

Benefits:

The New National Mineral Policy will ensure more effective regulation.  It will lead to sustainable mining sector development in future while addressing the issues of project affected persons especially those residing in tribal areas.

The National Mineral Policy 2019 includes provisions which will give boost to mining sector such as

• introduction of Right of First Refusal for RP/PL holders,
• encouraging the private sector to take up exploration,
• auctioning in virgin areas for composite RP cum PL cum ML on revenue share basis,
• encouragement of merger and acquisition of mining entities and
• transfer of mining leases and creation of dedicated mineral corridors to boost private sector mining areas.
• The 2019 Policy proposes to grant status of industry to mining activity to boost financing of mining for private sector and for acquisitions of mineral assets in other countries by private sector
• It also mentions that Long term import export policy for mineral will help private sector in better planning and stability in business
• The Policy also mentions rationalize reserved areas given to PSUs which have not been used and to put these areas to auction, which will give more opportunity to private sector for participation
• The Policy also mentions to make efforts to harmonize taxes, levies & royalty with world benchmarks to help private sector

Solution: d)

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, the same craft that made humanity’s first-ever visit to Pluto in 2015, is approaching its next target, a Kuiper Belt object a billion miles beyond Pluto, nicknamed Ultima Thule.

• Ultima Thule is located in the Kuiper belt in the outermost regions of the Solar System, beyond the orbit of Neptune.
• It measures approximately 30 km in diameter, and is irregularly shaped.
• Ultima Thule has a reddish color, probably caused by exposure of hydrocarbons to sunlight over billions of years.
• Ultima Thule belongs to a class of Kuiper belt objects called the “cold classicals”, which have nearly circular orbits with low inclinations to the solar plane.

Source

Solution: c)

The government is planning to set up a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.