DAY – 3 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2020

Solution: C

Narasimhavarman I (630-668 A.D.)

Narasimhavarman I was also known as Mamalla, which means ‘great wrestler’. He wanted to take avenge the defeat of his father at the hands of Chalukyan ruler Pulakesin II. His victory over Pulakesin II in the Battle of Manimangalam near Kanchi is mentioned in Kuram copper plates. The Pallava army under General Paranjothi pursued the retreating Chalukya army, entered Chalukya territory, captured and destroyed the capital city of Vatapi. Narasimhavarman I assumed the title ‘Vatapikonda’. He regained the lost territory.

Another notable achievement of Narasimhavarman I was his naval expedition to Sri Lanka. He restored the throne to his friend and Sri Lankan prince Manavarma.  Narasimhavarman I was the founder of Mamallapuram and the monolithic rathas were erected during his reign.

Solution: A

Rashtrakutas (755 – 975 A.D.)

The Rashtrakutas were of Kannada origin and Kannada language was their mother tongue. Dantidurga was the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. He defeated the Gurjaras and captured Malwa from them. Then he annexed the Chalukya kingdom by defeating Kirtivarman II. Thus, the Rashtrakutas became a paramount power in the Deccan.

The art and architecture of the Rashtrakutas were found at Ellora and Elephanta. At Ellora, the most remarkable temple is the Kailasa temple.

The Hindu sects of Vaishnavism and Saivism flourished during the period of Rashtrakutas. Yet, they did not affect the progress of Jainism under the patronage of Rashtrakuta kings and officers. Almost one third of the population of the Deccan were Jains.

Solution: A

National Tiger Conservation Authority:

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation in the country by retaining an oversight through advisories/normative guidelines, based on appraisal of tiger status, ongoing conservation initiatives and recommendations of specially constituted Committees.
• Environment Minister is the Chairman of the NTCA.

Solution: B

Nagar van scheme:

• With biodiversity the theme of World Environment Day (WED), the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has launched ‘Nagar Van’ (city forest) scheme.
• The scheme emphasises on urban forestry.
• Under the scheme, around 200 urban forests are to be developed all over the country in the next five years.
• The scheme will also provide an opportunity to the states to manage urban ecosystems.

Solution: C

Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D.)

Rajendra had demonstrated his military ability by participating in his father’s campaigns. He continued his father’s policy of aggressive conquests and expansion.

His most famous military enterprise was his expedition to north India. The Chola army crossed the Ganges by defeating a number of rulers on its way. Rajendra defeated Mahipala I of Bengal. To commemorate this successful north-Indian campaign Rajendra founded the city of Gangaikondacholapuram and constructed the famous Rajesvaram temple in that city. He also excavated a large irrigation tank called Cholagangam on the western side of the city.

Rajaraja I was a devout follower of Saivism. He completed the construction of the famous Rajarajeswara temple or Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore in 1010 A.D. He also helped in the construction of a Buddhist monastery at Nagapattinam.

Solution: B

Iltutmish (1211-1236)

Iltutmish belonged to the Ilbari tribe and hence his dynasty was named as Ilbari dynasty. His half-brothers sold him as a slave to Aibak, who made him his-son-in law by giving his daughter in marriage to him. Later Aibak appointed him as iqtadar of Gwalior. In 1211 Iltutmish defeated Aram Baksh and became Sultan. He shifted his capital from Lahore to Delhi. During the first ten years of his reign he concentrated on securing his throne from his rivals.  The hereditary succession to Delhi Sultanate was initiated by Iltutmish. He patronized many scholars and a number Sufi saints came to India during his reign.

Iltutmish introduced the Arabic coinage into India and the silver tanka weighing 175 grams became a standard coin in medieval India. The silver tanka remained the basis of the modern rupee. Iltutmish had also created a new class of ruling elite of forty powerful military leaders, the Forty.

Solution: A

Economy

After consolidating their position in India, the Delhi Sultans introduced reforms in the land revenue administration. The lands were classified into three categories:

1. iqta land – lands assigned to officials as iqtas instead of payment for their services.
2. khalisa land – land under the direct control of the Sultan and the revenues collected were spent for the maintenance of royal court and royal household.
3. inam land – land assigned or granted to religious leaders or religious institutions.

The peasantry paid one third of their produce as land revenue, and sometimes even one half of the produce. They also paid other taxes and always led a hand-to-mouth living. Frequent famines made their lives more miserable.

Solution: B

India continues to remain ranked 43rd on an annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by Institute for Management Development (IMD) with some traditional weaknesses like poor infrastructure and insufficient education investment keeping its ranking low, the international business school.

Solution: D

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.

Considering the utility nature of the objects of NPCI, it has been incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company under the provisions of Section 25 of Companies Act 1956 (now Section 8 of Companies Act 2013), with an intention to provide infrastructure to the entire Banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement systems. The Company is focused on bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology for achieving greater efficiency in operations and widening the reach of payment systems.

It provides an electronic payment facility to customer to make the payments at national, state and city toll plazas by identifying the vehicle uniquely through a FASTag.  FASTag are Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) stickers which are affixed on the vehicle windshield and enable the driver to make toll payments electronically while the vehicle is in motion without stopping at the Toll plazas by saving Fuel and Time.

https://www.npci.org.in/about-us-background

Solution: A

Sufism

Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the eleventh century. The first Sufi saint Shaikh Ismail of Lahore started preaching his ideas. The most famous of the Sufi saints of India was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer which became the centre of his activities. He had a number of disciples who are called Sufis of the Chishti order. Another well-known Sufi saint was Bahauddin Zakariya who came under the influence of another famous mystic Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. His branch of Sufi saints was known as the Sufis of the Suhrawardi Order. Yet another famous Sufi saint was Nizamuddin Auliya who belonged to the Chishti order and who was a mighty spiritual force. These Sufi saints are revered even today by not only Muslims but by a large number of Hindus. Their tombs have become popular placesof pilgrimage for both communities.

Solution: C

In the twelfth century, Ramanuja, who was born at Sriperumbudur near modern Chennai, preached Visishtadvaita. According to him God is Sagunabrahman. The creative process and all the objects in creation are real but not illusory as was held by Sankaracharya. Therefore, God, soul, matter are real. But God is inner substance and the rest are his attributes. He also advocated prabattimarga or path of self-surrender to God. He invited the downtrodden to Vaishnavism.

Solution: D

Priority Sector Lending:

It means those sectors which the Government of India and Reserve Bank of India consider as important for the development of the basic needs of the country and are to be given priority over other sectors. The banks are mandated to encourage the growth of such sectors with adequate and timely credit.

Priority Sector includes the following categories:

• Agriculture
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
• Export Credit
• Education
• Housing
• Social Infrastructure
• Renewable Energy
• Others

Solution: B

International Comparison Program

• International Comparison Program (ICP) is the largest worldwide data-collection initiative, under the guidance of UN Statistical Commission (UNSC).
• The goal is of producing Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) which are vital for converting measures of economic activities to be comparable across economies.
• Along with the PPPs, the ICP also produces Price Level Indices (PLI) and other regionally comparable aggregates of GDP expenditure.
• The next ICP comparison will be conducted for reference year 2021.
• It is managed by the World Bank

India and the ICP:

• India has participated in almost all ICP rounds since its inception in 1970.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is National Implementing Agency (NIA) for India, which has the responsibility of planning, coordinating and implementing national ICP activities.
• India has also been a co-Chair of the ICP Governing Board along with Statistics Austria for the ICP 2017 cycle.

Solution:  B

Context:

• President of India has appointed Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh to discharge the functions of the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, in addition to her own duties.

Governors of States in India:

• A governor is a nominal head of a state, unlike the Chief Minister who is the real head of a state in India.
• According to 7th Constitutional Amendment Act 1956, the same person can be the Governor of two or more states.
• Appointment: The governors and lieutenant-governors are appointed by the president.

Removal:

• The term of governor’s office is normally 5 years but it can be terminated earlier by: Dismissal by the president (usually on the advice of the prime minister of the country), at whose pleasure the governor holds office or Resignation by the governor. Thus, the term is subject to pleasure of the president.
• There is no provision of impeachment, as it happens for the president.

Some discretionary powers are as follows:

• Can dissolve the legislative assembly if the chief minister advices him to do following a vote of no confidence. Following which, it is up to the Governor what he/ she would like to do.
• Can recommend the president about the failure of the constitutional machinery in the state.
• Can reserve a bill passed by the state legislature for president’s assent.
• Can appoint anybody as chief minister If there is no political party with a clear-cut majority in the assembly.
• Determines the amount payable by the Government of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to an autonomous Tribal District Council as royalty accruing from licenses for mineral exploration.
• Can seek information from the chief minister with regard to the administrative and legislative matters of the state.
• Can refuse to sign to an ordinary bill passed by the state legislature.

Solution: A

On the eve of Babur’s invasion of India, there were five prominent Muslim rulers – the Sultans of Delhi, Gujarat, Malwa, Bengal and the Deccan – and two prominent Hindu rulers – Rana Sangha of Mewar and the Vijayanagar Empire. Once again by the end of 1525, Babur started from Kabul to conquer India. He occupied Lahore easily by defeating its governor, Daulat Khan Lodi.

Then he proceeded against Delhi where Ibrahim Lodi was the Sultan. On 21st April 1526 the first Battle of Panipat took place between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, who was killed in the battle. Babur’s success was due his cavalry and artillery.

Babur was a great statesman and a man of solid achievements. He was also a great scholar in Arabic and Persian languages. Turki was his mother tongue. He wrote his memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Baburi in Turki language. It provides a vivid account of India. He frankly confesses his own failures without suppressing any facts. He was also a naturalist and described the flora and fauna of India.

Solution: D

Shivaji’s Administration

Shivaji was also a great administrator. He laid the foundations of a sound system of administration. The king was the pivot of the government. He was assisted by a council of ministers called Ashtapradhan. However, each minister was directly responsible to Shivaji.

1. Peshwa – Finance and general administration. Later he became the prime minister.
2. Sar-i-Naubat or Senapati – Military commander, a honorary post.
3. Amatya – Accountant General.
4. Waqenavis – Intelligence, posts and household affairs.
5. Sachiv – Correspondence.
6. Sumanta – Master of ceremonies.
7. Nyayadish – Justice.
8. Panditarao – Charities and religious administration.

Most of the administrative reforms of Shivaji were based on the practices of the Deccan sultanates. For example, Peshwa was the Persian title.

Solution: A

Pangong Tso Lake

• It is a 135-km long lake, located in the Himalayas at the height of approximately 4,350 m, stretches out from India to China.
• It is a brackish water lake.
• It is not a part of the Indus river basin.
• One-third of water body, its 45 km stretch, is in Indian control while the rest of the 90 km is under Chinese control.
• It is formed from Tethys geosyncline.

Solution: D

UK announces ‘Jet Zero’ plan to drive down aviation emissions.  it aims to drive down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free transatlantic flights possible within a generation.

Solution: B

AarogyaPath:

• It is CSIR National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal that aims to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies.
• It was launched recently to serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers to effectively deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Solution: D

Forex reserves:

Forex reserves are external assets in the form of gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the IMF) and foreign currency assets (capital inflows to the capital markets, FDI and external commercial borrowings) accumulated by India and controlled by the Reserve Bank of India.

India’s foreign exchange reserves comprises of:

• Foreign currency assets (FCA)
• Gold
• Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
• Reserve tranche position (RTP) in the International Monetary Fund.

Rising forex reserves:

• The level of foreign exchange reserves has steadily increased by 8,400 per cent from $5.8 billion as of March 1991 to the current level.
• Official foreign exchange reserves are held in support of a range of objectives like supporting and maintaining confidence in the policies for monetary and exchange rate management including the capacity to intervene in support of the national or union currency.
• It will also limit external vulnerability by maintaining foreign currency liquidity to absorb shocks during times of crisis or when access to borrowing is curtailed.

Why are forex reserves rising despite the slowdown in the economy?

• Rise in investment in foreign portfolio investors in Indian stocks and foreign direct investments (FDIs).
• Fall in crude oil prices has brought down the oil import bill, saving the precious foreign exchange.
• Overseas remittances and foreign travels have fallen steeply – down 61 per cent in April from $12.87 billion.

Solution: C

Dibru-Saikhowa is a National Park as well as a Biosphere Reserve situated in the south bank of the river Brahmaputra in the extreme east of Assam state in India.

Dibru-Saikhowa, with an area of 340 sq km, is among the most vibrant wildness on earth and is also distinct for its pristine scenic beauty. Situated in the flood plain of Brahmaputra, Dibru-saikhowa is a safe haven for many extremely rare and endangered species of Wildlife.

36 species of mammals have so far been recorded – Tiger, Elephant, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Bears, Small Indian Civet, Squirrels, Gangetic Dolphin, Slow Loris, Assamese Macague, Rhesus Macaque, Capped Langur, Hoolock Gibbon, Wild Pigs, Sambar, Barking Deer, Water Buffalo, Feral Horses etc.

https://www.kaziranga-national-park.com/dibru-saikhowa-national-park.shtml

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/ngt-seeks-explanation-on-drilling-for-oil-in-assam-national-park/article32159368.ece

Solution: D

“Exotic live species” are animal or plant species which are moved from their
original range (location) to a new one.

For new “exotic live species”, the importer should obtain a no-objection certificate from the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/people-importing-exotic-live-species-must-make-voluntary-disclosure-centre/article31797788.ece

Solution: A

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Central Public Sector Enterprise of Government of India and Commercial Arm of ISRO.

It was established on 6 March 2019 under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS) and the Company Act 2013.

The main objective of NSIL is to scale up industry participation in Indian space programmes.

It will not replace Antrix Corporation of India.

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/isros-new-commercial-arm-gets-first-booking-for-launch-5897122/

Solution: C

Krishna Deva Raya (1509 – 1530)

The Tuluva dynasty was founded by Vira Narasimha. The greatest of the Vijayanagar rulers, Krishna Deva Raya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty. He possessed great military ability. His imposing personality was accompanied by high intellectual quality. His first task was to check the invading Bahmani forces.

Though a Vaishnavaite, he respected all religions. He was a great patron of literature and art and he was known as Andhra Bhoja. Eight eminent scholars known as Ashtadiggajas were at his royal court. Allasani Peddanna was the greatest and he was called Andhrakavita Pitamaga.

Solution: B

Recombinant DNA technology refers to the joining together of DNA molecules from two different species that are inserted into a host organism to produce new genetic combinations that are of value to science, medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Recombinant DNA (rDNA), on the other hand is the general name for a piece of DNA that has been created by the combination of at least two strands.

Application of it

• Recombinant DNA is widely used in biotechnology, medicine and research.
• The most common application of recombinant DNA is in basic research, in which the technology is important to most current work in the biological and biomedical sciences.
• Recombinant DNA is used to identify, map and sequence genes, and to determine their function.
• Recombinant proteins are widely used as reagents in laboratory experiments and to generate antibody probes for examining protein synthesis within cells and organisms.
• Many additional practical applications of recombinant DNA are found in industry, food production, human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, and bioengineering.

https://microbenotes.com/recombinant-dna-technology-steps-applications-and-limitations/