[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 21 December 2023

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) is a statutory body formed under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. Its mandate includes regulating telecom services and determining/revising tariffs. The TRAI Act was amended to create the Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to handle adjudicatory and dispute functions formerly managed by TRAI.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/telecom-bill-2023/

Ans: ( a)

Explanation:

• Context: The UK banned advertisements from Air France, Lufthansa, and Etihad in December, accusing them of greenwashing—misleading consumers about the environmental impact of air travel.
• Only statement 3 is correct.
• Greenwashing has been noted as a concern since at least the 1980s, as companies started to emphasize environmental attributes without substantial actions.
• The primary purpose of greenwashing is to mislead consumers and create a positive public image. By appearing environmentally responsible, companies may attract environmentally conscious consumers and enhance their brand reputation.
• While companies are often associated with greenwashing, government initiatives and policies can also face accusations if their environmental claims are misleading or not backed by substantial actions.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/greenwashing-3/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has strengthened regulations for Regulated Entities (RE), including banks and financial institutions, to curb the evergreening of loans through investments in Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).
• Alternative Investment Fund or AIF means any fund established or incorporated in India which is a privately pooled investment vehicle which collects funds from sophisticated investors, whether Indian or foreign, for investing it in accordance with a defined investment policy for the benefit of its investors. AIF does not include funds covered under the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996, SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999 or any other regulations of the Board to regulate fund management activities.
• Applicants can seek registration as an AIF in one of the following categories, and in sub-categories thereof, as may be applicable: • Category I AIF: o Venture capital funds (Including Angel Funds) o SME Funds o Social Venture Funds o Infrastructure funds • Category II AIF • Category III AIF
• What are Category I AIFs?
  • AIFs which invest in start-up or early stage ventures or social ventures or SMEs or infrastructure or other sectors or areas which the government or regulators consider as socially or economically desirable and shall include venture capital funds, SME Funds, social venture funds, infrastructure funds and such other Alternative Investment Funds as may be specified.
• What are Category II AIFs?
  • AIFs which do not fall in Category I and III and which do not undertake leverage or borrowing other than to meet day-to-day operational requirements and as permitted in the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012. Various types of funds such as real estate funds, private equity funds (PE funds), funds for distressed assets, etc. Are registered as Category II AIFs.
• What are Category III AIFs?
  • AIFs which employ diverse or complex trading strategies and may employ leverage including through investment in listed or unlisted derivatives.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/evergreening-of-loan-by-aif/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has strengthened regulations for Regulated Entities (RE), including banks and financial institutions, to curb the evergreening of loans through investments in Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).
• Option D: This statement is partially correct but not comprehensive. Evergreening does involve the automatic renewal of loans, but it is specifically about extending the maturity date without a thorough reassessment of the borrower’s financial health.
• Option B: Evergreening involves extending the maturity of an existing loan without addressing the fundamental financial problems faced by the borrower. It gives the appearance of a healthy loan portfolio without resolving the borrower’s financial distress.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/evergreening-of-loan-by-aif/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Context: The article explores the working principles of touchscreens, focusing on their historical development and prevalent technologies.
• Touchscreens serve the dual purpose of receiving inputs and displaying outputs, making them integral to devices like smartphones, ATMs, household appliances, and more.
• There are two main types of touchscreens, capacitive and resistive.
• Capacitive touchscreens, used in smartphones, operate by detecting changes in electric fields when a finger touches the screen.
• Resistive touchscreens, with two conductive sheets separated by a small gap, function based on the change in resistance when touched.
• The rising dominance of capacitive touchscreens in consumer electronics since 2007 due to their superior image clarity, sensitivity, and durability compared to resistive touchscreens.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/touchscreens/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in India has prohibited the use of an anti-cold fixed drug combination in children below four years of age.
• Fixed drug combinations (FDCs) involve combining two or more drugs into a single dosage form, such as a tablet or capsule. This is done to enhance patient compliance, simplify dosing regimens, and address multiple aspects of a medical condition.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/anti-cold-fixed-drug-combination/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Context: The rise in tiger numbers at Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) is attributed to a reduction in human activities, particularly restrictions on illegal mining in the eco-sensitive zone.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/valmiki-tiger-reserve-vtr/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The US has introduced Operation Prosperity Guardian, an enhanced naval protection force in the southern Red Sea to counter Houthi attacks on merchant shipping under the Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153).
• Bab el-Mandeb is a crucial chokepoint for maritime trade, serving as a strategic passage for ships traveling between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is one of the world’s busiest and most important shipping lanes.
• The strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It is a narrow passage with significant geopolitical and economic importance.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/operation-prosperity-guardian/

Ans:(b)

Explanation:

• Bhutan shares its borders with only two countries i.e. India and China. Bhutan, being a landlocked country does not maintain any maritime boundaries.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/12/21/gelephu-smartcity-project-bhutan/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Faced by high prices charged by the British traders for indigo dye, German chemists had already started their search for making synthetic indigo and Adolf Baeyer succeeded in synthesizing it in 1882. This was followed by research by other German chemists, namely, Johannes Pfleger and Karl Heumann in the first decade of 20^th The synthetic dye was much cheaper and blew the final blow to the natural plant produced indigo dye and indigo crop became a part of history. Now most of the indigo dye used world-over is made synthetically.

Refer: UPSC 2020