DAY – 38 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2020

Solution: A

According to WTO data, India’s share in world’s commercial services exports has risen steadily over the past decade to reach 3.5 per cent in 2018, twice the share in world’s merchandise exports at 1.7 per cent. India now ranks 8th among the world’s largest commercial services exporters and continues to register strong growth performance relative to the other major services-exporting countries as well as world services export growth (Table B).

Solution: D

India ranked 22nd in the world in terms of international tourist arrivals in 2018, improving from the 26th position in 2017. India now accounts for 1.24 per cent of world’s international tourist arrivals and 5 per cent of Asia & Pacific’s international tourist arrivals. India ranks 13th in the world and 7^th in Asia & Pacific in terms of tourism foreign exchange earnings, accounting for close to 2 per cent of the world’s tourism foreign exchange earnings.

Foreign tourists from the top 10 countries visiting India – Bangladesh, USA, UK, Sri Lanka, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, China, Germany and Russia – accounted for 65 per cent of the total foreign tourist arrivals in India in 2018. Among the foreign tourists, 62.4 per cent tourists visited for leisure, holiday and recreation, 16.3 per cent for business purposes, and 13.5 per cent was Indian diaspora.

Solution: C

India’s first Governor General Shri C Rajagopalachari formally inaugurated the Indian Territorial Army on October 9 in 1949. It is an organization where volunteers apply for a short period of training every year, so as to be ready to tackle any emergent situation or to serve for the defence of India.

The Territorial Army, also known as the ‘Terriers’, is considered the second line of national defence after the regular Army. 

The Territorial Army is part of a Regular Army and its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the security of the country is threatened and to provide units for Regulars Army as and when required.  Territorial Army comes under the Defence Ministry.

Solution: C

An increase in merchandise exports to GDP ratio has a net positive impact on BOP position. Over the years the merchandise exports to GDP ratio has been declining, entailing a negative impact on the BoP position.

An increase in the merchandise imports to GDP ratio has a net negative impact on the BoP position. Over the years the merchandise imports to GDP ratio has been declining for India entailing a net positive impact on the BoP position (Table 8 and Figure 11).

Solution: B

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans. It was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fruit bats are natural host of this virus. Fruit bats are natural host of this virus.

It spreads through contact with body fluids of inflected persons such as blood, urine and saliva.  It also spreads through sexual transmission.

Solution: A

The slowdown of world output has definitely had an impact on reducing the export to GDP ratio, particularly from 2018-19 to H1 of 2019-20. The appreciation in the real exchange rate (Table 5 and Figure 6) has also contributed to the declining exports to GDP ratio.

Solution: B

China continues to be the largest exporter to India followed by USA, UAE and Saudi Arabia. In recent times, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore have also emerged as significant exporters to India (Figure 16).

Solution: A

The Budapest Convention was the first ever treaty on cyber-crime that addressed internet and computer crimes. It was drawn by Council of Europe.  At present, it is the only treaty of cybercrime under the United Nations.

Countries like India and Brazil have not adopted the convention on the grounds that they did not participate in its drafting.

Solution: D

Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES): The Government of India has launched a scheme namely, Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES), from FY 2017-18 with the objective to assist Central and State Government Agencies for creation of appropriate infrastructure for growth of exports from the States. The Scheme provides financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid to Central/State Government owned agencies for setting up or for up-gradation of export infrastructure as per the guidelines of the Scheme. Establishment of facility for the identification of origin and authenticity at Export Inspection Agency, Mumbai and Construction of office-cum-lab complex of EIA Chennai SO Visakhapatnam are two projects, approved under TIES.

The Government of India has launched a scheme namely, Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) from FY 2017-18 with the objective to assist Central and State Government Agencies for creation of appropriate infrastructure for growth of exports from the States. The Scheme provides financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid to Central/State Government owned agencies for setting up or for up-gradation of export infrastructure as per the guidelines of the Scheme. The scheme can be availed by the States through their Implementing Agencies, for infrastructure projects with overwhelming export linkages like the Border Haats, Land customs stations, quality testing and certification labs, cold chains, trade promotion centres, dry ports, export warehousing and packaging, SEZs and ports/airports cargo terminuses.

Solution: B

CRISPR, a new genome editing tool, could transform the field of biology—and a recent study on genetically-engineered human embryos has converted this promise into reality. It allows researchers to permanently modify genes in living cells and organisms. This can be used to correct mutations at precise locations in the human genome to treat genetic causes of diseases. Correcting the mutation in an embryo ensures that the child is born healthy and the defective gene is not passed on to future generations.

Gene therapy- can be used for curing cancer, hepatitis b, Parkinson, Alzheimer’s n high cholesterol by following methods:

• Gene correction-muted gene is tried to be cured.
• Gene replacement-mutated gene is replaced by healthy gene.
• Gene augmentation-both mutated n healthy gene n necessary characteristics develop in body through this healthy gene.

Solution: D

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1967)
• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1971)
• International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations (the Rome Convention) (1961)
• Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits (1989)

Solution: B

The New Pension Scheme, now renamed as National Pension System (NPS) was introduced by the Government on December 22, 2003 and it was made mandatory for Central Government employees (except armed forces) who join service w.e.f. January 1, 2004. The Scheme was extended to the State Governments and as of now 28 State Governments have notified NPS for their employees. The Scheme was extended to all citizens of the country on voluntary basis from May 2009.

National Pension System (NPS) is a voluntary, defined contribution retirement savings scheme designed to enable the subscribers to make optimum decisions regarding their future through systematic savings during their working life. NPS seeks to inculcate the habit of saving for retirement amongst the citizens. It is an attempt towards finding a sustainable solution to the problem of providing adequate retirement income to every citizen of India.

Under the NPS, individual savings are pooled in to a pension fund which are invested by PFRDA regulated professional fund managers as per the approved investment guidelines in to the diversified portfolios comprising of government bonds, bills, corporate debentures and shares. These contributions would grow and accumulate over the years, depending on the returns earned on the investment made.

Eligibility

A citizen of India, whether resident or non-resident, subject to the following conditions:

• Applicant should be between 18 – 65 years of age as on the date of submission of his/her application to the Point of Presence – Service Providers (POP/ POP-SP).

Solution: D

RBI launches mobile app MANI for visually challenged to identify currency notes.

The application also works offline once installed. The application can scan the currency notes using the camera of the mobile phone.  It also gives audio output in Hindi and English.

Solution: C

Internationally, the potential and performance of the insurance sector are generally assessed on the basis of two parameters, viz., insurance penetration and insurance density. The measure of insurance penetration and density reflects the level of development of insurance sector in a country. While insurance penetration is measured as the percentage of insurance premium to GDP, insurance density is calculated as the ratio of premium to population (measured in US$ for convenience of international comparison).

The insurance density in India which was US$ 11.5 in 2001, reached to US$ 74 in 2018 (Life- US$ 55 and Non-Life – US$ 19). Penetration for Life insurance has declined from 2011, whereas for the non-life insurance has increased consistently and is 2.74 per cent for Life Insurance and 0.97 per cent for Non-Life insurance in 2018 (Table 8 and 9). Globally insurance penetration and density were 3.31 per cent and US$ 370 for the life segment and 2.78 per cent and US$ 312 for the non-life segment respectively in 2018.

Solution: C

Shekatakar Committee constituted to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of armed forces. It submitted its report in 2016. It recommended defence budget should be in range of 2.5 to 3% of the GDP, keeping in mind possible future threats.

Solution: A

India ratified the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) in April 2016 and subsequently constituted a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) which has played an important role in reducing the high cost of imports and exports so as to integrate our cross-border trade with the global value chain.  These efforts have resulted in substantive improvement of India’s performance in ‘Trading Across Borders’ indicator as well as in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking. The logistics industry of India has also seen significant development which has led to a jump in India’s global ranking in the World Bank’s 2016 Logistics Performance Index.

• National Committee on Trade Facilitation is the local institutional mechanism for India to facilitate domestic co-ordination and implementation of TFA provisions.
• It will enable to play the leading role in developing a pan-India road map for trade facilitation.
• Further, it will play an instrumental role in synergizing the various trade facilitation perspectives across the country and will also focus on an outreach programme for sensitization of all stakeholders about TFA.

Composition

NCTF is an inter-ministerial body on trade facilitation, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. It is a three-tier structure committee with the main national committee playing a pivotal role in monitoring the implementation of the TFA. Below it, there will be a steering committee.

Solution: C

Krishi Udaan Scheme will be launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on international and national routes to transport agricultural products especially fish, meat and dairy products across the globe.

Solution: B

The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna. The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Krishna. Bhismaknagar, located near Roing in the lower Dibang Valley district, also finds mention in Kalika Purana.

Surajkund International Crafts Mela is unique as it showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India, & is the largest crafts fair in the world.

The Pushkar Fair, also called the Pushkar Camel Fair is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête held in the town of Pushkar, Rajasthan.

Solution: A

Maritime museum to be set up at Lothal- the Harrapan age maritime site near Ahmedabad, by Ministry of Shipping.

Solution: C

Dalkhai is the most popular folk dance of Odisha. It is known as Dalkhai because in the beginning and end of every stanza the word is used as an address to a girl friend. Mainly the theme of this dance is Radha and Krishna, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc.

Solution: B

The Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) was constituted on 26.10.2010 under the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2007 vide Government of India Gazette Notification dated 26th October 2010. The Act provides for the establishment of the WDRA to exercise the powers conferred on it and to perform the functions assigned to it under the Act, Rules and Regulations for the development and regulation of warehouses, negotiability of warehouse receipts and promote orderly growth of the warehousing business in the country.

The WDRA is a Statutory Authority under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

Solution: B

The Global Gender Gap Report was first published in 2006 by the World Economic Forum. The 2020 report covers 153 countries. The Global Gender Gap Index is an index designed to measure gender equality.

Solution: A

Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the state of Assam in India. This wildlife sanctuary covers 44.06 km², on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River in Sonitpur district. The area was declared a Reserved forest in 1974, it became a sanctuary in 1995.

It is one of the protected site under Indian Rhino Vision 2020 program.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/over-3-000-hectares-added-to-kaziranga-national-park-and-tiger-reserve-in-assam/story-OH5j05pw7dqc5PxTz0VuTM.html

Solution: D

Solution: C

The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted on 01st October, 2018 by the Government of India under Sub Section (1) of section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013.

Functions and Duties

As per Sub Section (2) of Section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013, the duties of the NFRA are to:

• Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by companies for approval by the Central Government;
• Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards;
• Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the quality of service;
• Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary or incidental to the aforesaid functions and duties.