DAY – 17 ( INSTA REVISION TEST – 17)INSTA REVISION PLAN 2.0, 2021

Solution: C

The National Defence Fund was set up to take charge of voluntary donations in cash and kind received for promotion of the national defence effort, and to decide on their utilisation.

The Fund is used for the welfare of the members of the Armed Forces (including Para Military Forces) and their dependents. The Fund is administered by an Executive Committee, with PM as Chairperson, and Defence, Finance and Home Ministers as Members.

Finance Minister is the Treasurer of the Fund and the Joint Secretary, PMO dealing with the subject is Secretary of the Executive Committee. Accounts of the Fund are kept with the Reserve Bank of India.

The fund is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions from the public and does not get any budgetary support.

https://ndf.gov.in/aboutndf.php

Solution: C

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. SAARC comprises of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987.

Decisions at all levels are to be taken on the basis of unanimity; and bilateral and contentious issues are excluded from the deliberations of the Association.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.

This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand.

Solution: A

The Leader of the Opposition is the politician who leads the official opposition in either House of the Parliament of India. To claim the status of “official opposition” in either house a party has to secure 55 seats (10%) of the seats in the Lok Sabha and likewise 25 (10%) of the seats in the Rajya Sabha.

It received statutory recognition through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977 which defines the term “Leader of the Opposition” as that member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha who, for the time being, is the Leader of that House of the Party in Opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised, as such, by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

As per the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977 by which the post has got official and statutory status, the majority required is decided by the heads of the houses, that is speaker and chairman as the case may be.

Solution: C

The Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency attached to the Ministry of Culture that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General.

It regulate all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the ancient monument and archaeological sites and remains act, 1958. It also regulates antiquities and art treasure act, 1972.

Solution: C

The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

Solution: A

The resolution demands that all parties immediately cease any attacks against civilian targets in Syria, it urges all Member States to support efforts to achieve a ceasefire and requests the U.N. to convene the parties to engage in formal negotiations in early January 2016.

Solution: C

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire announced the introduction of a GAFA tax—named after Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon—on large technology and internet companies in France from 1 January 2019. The French proposal is set to target only those profitable companies that have heavy annual global revenue.

Solution: C

Green Room

The informal name of the director-general’s conference room. It is used to refer to meetings of 20-40 delegations, usually at the level of heads of delegations. These meetings can take place elsewhere, such as at Ministerial Conferences, and can be called by the minister chairing the conference as well as the director-general.

Solution: C

Both the statements are correct

What is the Global Financial Stability Report?

The Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) is a semiannual report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that assesses the stability of global financial markets and emerging-market financing. It is released twice per year, in April and October.

The GFSR focuses on current conditions, especially financial and structural imbalances, which could risk an upset in global financial stability and access to financing by emerging-market countries. It emphasizes the ramifications of financial and economic imbalances that are highlighted in one of the IMF’s other publications, the World Economic Outlook.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gfsr.asp

Solution: C

Bandipur National Park established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, is a national park located in the Indian state of Karnataka, which is the state with the highest tiger population in India.

Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion

Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km2 national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki district of Kerala in India.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is located in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in India. It is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park. It is not a part of Western Ghats.

Solution: A

The coat of Asiatic golden cat comes in five other shades besides the golden colour in Arunachal Pradesh, scientists have discovered. Its coat comes in six types: cinnamon, golden, gray, melanistic, ocelot and tightly rosetted.

It is found across eastern Nepal through north-eastern India to Indonesia. Scientists believe that the wide variation displayed in the cat’s coats provides them with several ecological benefits such as occupying different habitats at different elevations — from wet tropical lowland forests to alpine scrubs — and providing camouflage while preying on pheasants and rabbits.

The Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.

Solution: A

UCBs: Primary credit societies (PCSs) in urban areas that meet certain specified criteria can apply to RBI for a banking license to operate as urban co-operative banks (UCBs). They are registered and governed under the co-operative societies acts of the respective states and are covered by the Banking Regulation Act, 1949—thus are under dual regulatory control. The managerial aspects of these banks—registration, management, administration, recruitment, amalgamation, liquidation, etc. are controlled by the state governments, while the matters related to banking are regulated by RBI.

Solution: B

What are White Label ATMs (WLAs)?

ATMs set up, owned and operated by non-banks are called WLAs. Non-bank ATM operators are authorized under the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007 by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

What is tokenization?

Tokenization refers to replacement of actual card details with an alternate code called the “token”, which shall be unique for a combination of card, token requestor and device.

Solution: C

Prompt Corrective Action or PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI. The PCA framework deems banks as risky if they slip below certain norms on three parameters — capital ratios, asset quality and profitability.

It aims to monitor the operation of weaker banks more closely to encourage them to conserve capital and avoid risks.

PCA framework is about imposing certain restrictions on expansion of branches and dividend distribution by banks that are financially weak as reflected in parameters like nonperforming asset ratio and return on assets.

Solution: B

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an alliance of 29 countries bordering the North Atlantic Ocean.

It includes Canada, the United States, Turkey and most members of the European Union. Macedonia to become its 30th member soon

Every day, member countries consult and take decisions on security issues at all levels and in a variety of fields.

A “NATO decision” is the expression of the collective will of all 29 member countries since all decisions are taken by consensus.

POLITICAL – NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.

MILITARY – NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under the collective defence clause of NATO’s founding treaty – Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.

https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html