QUIZ – 2020: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 28 January 2021

Solution: d)

Does the Reserve Bank regulate all financial companies?

No. Housing Finance Companies, Merchant Banking Companies, Stock Exchanges, Companies engaged in the business of stock-broking/sub-broking, Venture Capital Fund Companies, Nidhi Companies, Insurance companies and Chit Fund Companies are NBFCs but they have been exempted from the requirement of registration under Section 45-IA of the RBI Act, 1934 subject to certain condition.

What are systemically important NBFCs?

NBFCs whose asset size is of ₹ 500 cr or more as per last audited balance sheet are considered as systemically important NBFCs. The rationale for such classification is that the activities of such NBFCs will have a bearing on the financial stability of the overall economy.

Source

Solution: d)

Housing Finance Companies are regulated by National Housing Bank, Merchant Banker/Venture Capital Fund Company/stock-exchanges/stock brokers/sub-brokers are regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India, and Insurance companies are regulated by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority. Similarly, Chit Fund Companies are regulated by the respective State Governments and Nidhi Companies are regulated by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. Companies that do financial business but are regulated by other regulators are given specific exemption by the Reserve Bank from its regulatory requirements for avoiding duality of regulation.

Source

Solution: a)

‘Abraham Accords’ entered with the UAE and Bahrain are ‘peace-for-peace’ deals without any physical quid pro quo by Israel. 

Source

Solution: b)

The smallpox vaccine, introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed.

Named one of the 10 greatest health threats of 2019 by the World Health Organization, ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is increasingly cited as a cause behind measles outbreaks. Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or outright refusal of vaccines despite having access to vaccination services.

Source  Source

Solution: c)

Microplastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic, solid, water insoluble, high polymer plastic particles of a size range below 5 mm (but bigger than 1 micrometre). They are both used as a raw material for a number of products and produced from degradation of any plastic product. Their small size allows them to pass through wastewater treatment plants and reach the oceans through surface waterbodies and rivers. Microplastics are non-biodegradable and persistent in marine and freshwater

Plastic particles generally of size below 1μm (micrometre) are called nanoplastics. They pose higher risk to the environment because of their reduced size which is 1000 times smaller than an algal cell.

Microplastics undergo various processes of physical, enzymatic and microbial degradation in nature, but do not get completely broken down.

Microplastics can absorb extremely harmful hydrophobic organic pollutants. Removal of microplastics from aquatic environment is extremely difficult as that could lead to the elimination of all plankton size organisms.

Microplastics exist in air as airborne pollutants originating from the plastic textile fiber production.

Microplastics used as abrasives in personal care and cosmetic products (PCCP) are commonly known as microbeads. Mostly of spherical shape, these, are used in both leave-on lotions and rinse-off products.