[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 24 May 2023

Solution: d)

ONDC is an interoperable network based on the BeckN protocol that anyone can piggyback on. It seeks to break down silos in digital commerce by enabling platforms of varying configurations (big or small) to connect and operate seamlessly on it.

It comprises different entities called ‘Network Participants’, including Buyer Applications, Seller Applications, and Gateways that perform the search and discovery function. Imagine a scenario where all the large e-commerce platforms, from food delivery to clothing and fashion to conveyance, are accessible in one place, along with your neighbourhood start-ups, shops, and kirana stores.

How does this help, and why is it significant?

By moving the exchange of goods and services from a platform-centric approach to a network-centric approach, ONDC eliminates the need for buyers and sellers to use the same application, and promotes the discoverability of local digital stores across industries.

What is ONDC’s inclusive governance approach?

The ONDC entity, a not-for-profit company incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, manages and operates the ONDC Network.

It is responsible for building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure (common registries and protocols) as well as defining the rules of engagement and code of conduct for the Network Participants through the ONDC Network Policy and the ONDC Network Participant Agreement.

To what extent will the government be involved in ONDC?

ONDC has been endorsed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. DPIIT is not involved in ONDC’s funding, but is at the forefront of its evangelisation through light-touch governmental oversight.

To ensure a market+community driven approach to decision-making, the board includes representatives from banks, the government, and independent industry and civil society members.

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Solution: a)

The Pacific Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Papua New Guinea’s location just north of Australia makes it strategically significant. It was the site of fierce battles during World War II, and with a population of nearly 10 million people, it’s one of the most populous Pacific Island nation.

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Solution: c)

PARAKH has been set up as the organisation under NCERT. It will work on bringing the school boards across the States and the Union Territories on a common platform. As a first step, a workshop on school assessments, examination practices and equivalence of boards across the country was organised by the Ministry of Education and PARAKH in New Delhi. PARAKH will act as a common platform for interaction of all concerned stakeholders in order to develop a holistic approach that ensures a fair assessment system which promotes equity in performance and equivalence in assessment of students.

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Solution: d)

Cumulonimbus is a dense, towering vertical cloud, typically forming from water vapor condensing in the lower troposphere that builds upward carried by powerful buoyant air currents. Above the lower portions of the cumulonimbus the water vapor becomes ice crystals, such as snow and graupel, the interaction of which can lead to hail and to lightning formation, respectively.

Cumulonimbus storm cells can produce torrential rain of a convective nature.

Stages of a cumulonimbus cloud’s life:

Solution: c)

Loktak Lake is a freshwater lake in Manipur. It is the largest freshwater lake in South Asia.

Umiam Lake is a reservoir in the hills north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya.

Kolleru Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located in state of Andhra Pradesh and forms the largest shallow freshwater lake in Asia.

Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India, (after Chilika Lake). Major part of the lagoon comes under Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.