QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 06 May 2019

            Solution: c)

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons.

The ATT is an attempt to regulate the international trade of conventional weapons for the purpose of contributing to international and regional peace; reducing human suffering; and promoting co-operation, transparency, and responsible action by and among states.

The treaty was negotiated in New York City at a global conference under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) from 2–27 July 2012. On 2 April 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted the ATT.

Conventional weapons covered by the UN Arms Trade Treaty include tanks and other armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, naval warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms.
It also establishes common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in ammunition, weapons parts, and arms components.
The treaty does not regulate the domestic sale or use of weapons in any country. It also recognizes the legitimacy of the arms trade to enable states to provide for their own security.

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Solution: d)

India’s recently released, National Clean Air Program (NCAP)provides a roadmap to prevent, control, and reduce unhealthy air pollution.

Overall objective of the NCAP is comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution besides augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country and strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities.

The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year.

The NCAP will be institutionalized by respective ministries and will be organized through inter-sectoral groups, which include, Ministry of Road Transport and Highway, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, NITI Aayog, CPCB, experts from the industry, academia, and civil society. The program will partner with multilateral and bilateral international organizations, and philanthropic foundations and leading technical institutions to achieve its outcomes.

City specific action plans are being formulated for 102 non-attainment cities identified for implementing mitigation actions under NCAP.

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Solution: b)

• SDRF has been constituted by each state under the provisions of Disaster Management act 2005.
• It was constituted based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.
• Funding: The government of India contributes 75% and 90% of the total yearly allocation of SDRF to general states and special category states respectively.
• Heads: The state executive committee headed by the Chief Secretary is authorized to decide on all matters relating to the financing of the relief expenditure from the SDRF.

Disaster (s) covered under SDRF: Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.

Local Disaster: A State Government may use up to 10 percent of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs subject to the condition that the State Government has listed the State specific natural disasters and notified clear and transparent norms and guidelines for such disasters with the approval of the State Authority, i.e., the State Executive Authority (SEC).

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Solution: a)

• The Goldman Environmental Prize honors grassroots environmental heroes from the world’s six inhabited continental regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands & Island Nations, North America, and South & Central America.
• The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.
• The Goldman Prize views “grassroots” leaders as those involved in local efforts, where positive change is created through community or citizen participation in the issues that affect them. Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Prize founded in 1989 by U.S. philanthropists Rhoda and Richard Goldman.

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Solution: b)

The International Whaling Commission is an Inter-governmental Organisation whose purpose is the conservation of whales and the management of whaling.  The legal framework of the IWC is the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.  This Convention was established in 1946, making it one of the first pieces of international environmental legislation.  All member countries of the IWC are signatories to this Convention.  The IWC has a current membership of 89 Governments from countries all over the world.

Membership of the IWC is open to any country in the world that formally adheres to the 1946 Convention. India joined the commission in 1981.

Japan has announced its decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The withdrawal would enable Japan to resume commercial whaling activities. Japan has said that it would undertake commercial whaling from July 2019 limited to Japan’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

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