Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Dec 01, 2017

ANSWER: Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana

Explanation:
The Union Ministry of Power launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) in Manipur. Total of approximately 1.75 lakh households (1.62 lakh rural households and 0.13 lakh urban households) of Manipur are proposed to be included under scheme.

Union Government will provide the required financial assistance for strengthening and improvement of infrastructure in the power sector in Manipur.

Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA)

The Union Ministry of Power launched had Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana -"Saubhagya" in September 2017 with an aim to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of country by providing last mile electricity connectivity to all rural and urban households.

Under the scheme, government will provide free electricity to all households identified under Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data 2011. The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) is nodal agency for operationalisation of scheme throughout country. For easy & accelerated implementation of Scheme, modern technology will be used for household survey by using Mobile App.

Gram Panchayat/Public institutions in rural areas will be authorised to collect application forms along with complete documentation, distribute bills and collect revenue in consultation with Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

ANSWER: Disabled

Explanation:
The High Level Inter-Governmental Mid-Point review meeting of Asia and Pacific Decade for Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 was held in Beijing, China.

A number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region had participated in it. Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot.

The meeting was organised by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in cooperation with China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF).

Its main objective was to review progress made by member States during Decade at mid-point in 2017 with regard to Incheon Strategy to make right real for persons with disabilities in Asia and Pacific.

It also discussed future policy action for building disabilities-inclusive societies in region, bearing in mind synergies between 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Incheon Strategy.

It also finalised declaration to address gaps and challenges in empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

The Incheon Strategy provides Asian and Pacific region and world with first set of regionally agreed disability-inclusive development goals. It has been developed over more than two years of consultations with governments and civil society stakeholders.

ANSWER: Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event

Explanation:
A boost in levels of oxygen may have caused a three-fold increase in biodiversity during between 445 and 485 million years ago, a study has found.

The explosion of diversity, recognised as the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, brought about the rise of various marine life, tremendous change across species families and types, as well as changes to the Earth, starting at the bottom of the ocean floors.

This oxygenation is supported by two approaches that are mostly independent from each other, using different sets of geochemical records and predicting the same amount of oxygenation occurred at roughly the same time as diversification.

During the Ordovician where near-modern levels of oxygen were reached about 455 million years ago.

It should be stressed that this was probably not the only reason why diversification occurred then. It is likely that other changes - such as ocean cooling, increased nutrient supply to the oceans and predation pressures - worked together to allow animal life to diversify for millions of years.

Chemical signatures of Oxygen Increase: Know More

• Using geochemical proxies, high-resolution data and chemical signatures preserved in carbonate rocks formed from seawater, researchers were able to identify an oxygen increase during the Middle and Late Ordovician periods.
• They found a nearly 80% increase in oxygen levels where oxygen constituted about 14% of the atmosphere during the Darriwilian Stage (Middle Ordovician 460-465 million years ago) and increased to as high as 24% of the atmosphere by the mid-Katian (Late Ordovician 450-455 million years ago).
• This study suggests that atmospheric oxygen levels did not reach and maintain modern levels for millions of years after the Cambrian explosion, which is traditionally viewed as the time when the ocean-atmosphere was oxygenated.
• In this research, scientists were able to show that the oxygenation of the atmosphere and shallow ocean took millions of years, and only when shallow seas became progressively oxygenated were the major pulses of diversification able to take place.

ANSWER: EU

Explanation:
NITI Aayog in collaboration with the European Union delegation to India have released the Strategy on Resource Efficiency at a function in the capital.

The report included in action plan for promoting resource efficiency in India.

It adds that sustainability is a global priority and SDGs commitment and 11th Five year plan clearly enunciate importance of Resource efficiency (RE). Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy are important goals and central principles for achieving sustainable development. Resource efficiency very simply put is making more with fewer materials.

In practice, through a life-cycle approach, it leads to minimizing impact on environment & the associated societal burdens, transforming 'waste' into 'resources' fostering circular economy, and strengthening resource security.

This strategy is the first policy document to emphasize resource productivity in the country.

RE Strategy emphasizes on Sustainable Public Procurement (SSP) as an action agenda which will be the market transformation tool to transform to a resource efficient economy.

The document is developed with the recommendations from the Indian Resource Efficiency Programme (IREP), launched by the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Indian Resource Panel (InRP) in April 2017.

The work on Resource Efficiency Strategy and proposed plan of action (core and medium term) will be supported for its implementation by the European Union (EU) funded Resource Efficiency Initiative (EU-REI) led by GIZ in the consortium with TERI, CII and Adelphi.

NITI Aayog has provided key support in positioning this document for public consultation, and charting the way forward.

Resource Efficiency in India

• India's large population, rapid urbanization and expanding industrial production have led to exploitation of available limited natural resources with concerns regarding resource depletion and future availability becoming more pronounced.
• Ensuring resource security requires and integrated, concerted and collaborative approach in order to fulfill the needs of a vast and growing population.
• Also, the environmental burdens emanating due to resource extraction, utilization and disposal, including land degradation, biodiversity loss, as well as air and water pollution remain of great concern.
• Enhancing resource efficiency (RE) and promoting the use of secondary raw materials (SRM) is a pertinent strategy to address these challenges and reduce dependence on primary resource.

ANSWER: Child sex abuse

Explanation:
In a first, the World Health Organisation has formulated clinical guidelines on responding to children and adolescents who have been sexually abused.

The guidelines put forward recommendations for the frontline health care providers - general practitioners, gynaecologists, paediatricians, nurses and others - who may directly receive a victim of sexual abuse or may identify sexual abuse during the course of diagnosis and treatment.

While Indian doctors have welcomed the new guidelines, they feel that there is more than just guidelines required in the country.

In 2010, the IAP released similar guidelines on 'recommendations on recognition and response to child abuse and neglect in the Indian setting.

Like the IAP guidelines, the new WHO guidelines too focus on the recommendations and good practice suggestions in terms of disclosure made by the child, obtaining medical history, conducting physical examinations and forensic investigations, documenting findings, offering preventive treatment for HIV post exposure, pregnancy prevention, and other sexually transmitted diseases, psychological and mental health interventions among others.

The guidelines highlight that child sexual abuse has a short-term as well as long-term mental health impact like lifetime diagnosis of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, externalising symptoms, eating disorders, problems with relationships, sleep disorders and suicidal and self-harm ideation and behaviours.

Health consequences of the abuse include the risk of pregnancy, gynaecological disorders such as chronic non-cyclical pelvic pain, menstrual irregularities, painful periods, infections and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

One of the most commonly seen mistakes in handling child sexual abuse cases is re-traumatising the child as well as his parents with questions. Such mistakes can be avoided if those dealing with such cases are well trained.

ANSWER: Hwasong-15

Explanation:
North Korea successfully launched Hwasong-15, a new type of nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It is North Korea's most powerful ICBM that can reach entire eastern US seaboard and Washington.

The ICBM was launched from near Pyongyang and had reached height of 4,475 km and traveled 950 km before it accurately hitting a sea target.

It landed inside of Japan's economic exclusion zone (EEZ) in Sea of Japan, about 250 km west of Aomori, which is on northern part of Japan's main island of Honshu.

ANSWER: Differential

Explanation:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data services, effectively prohibiting Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero platform by Airtel in their current form.

1. No service provider can offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content.
2. No service provider shall enter into any arrangement, agreement or contract, by whatever name called, with any person, natural or legal, that the effect of discriminatory tariffs for data services being offered or charged by the service provider for the purpose of evading the prohibition in this regulation.
3. Reduced tariff for accessing or providing emergency services, or at times of public emergency has been permitted.
4. Financial disincentives for contravention of the regulation have also been specified
5. TRAI may review these regulations after a period of two years.

The regulator and Facebook have been at loggerheads over the issue with the authority terming the social networking giant's attempt to lobby for its Free Basics initiative a "crude" attempt at turning the consultation over differential pricing of data services into an "orchestrated opinion poll" on Free Basics. Facebook had partnered with Reliance Communications in India to offer Free Basics service. However, the services were put in abeyance, post a TRAI order to this effect.

ANSWER: Singapore

Explanation:
India and Singapore have signed Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation that will allow Indian Navy ships logistical support, including refuelling at Singapore's Changi Naval Base located near disputed South China Sea (SCS).

The agreement was announced during second Defence Ministers' Dialogue between India and Singapore held in New Delhi.

The Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation will allow Indian Navy ships sailing through disputed SCS or in eastern waters of Andaman Sea to refuel, restock and if needed rearm at Singapore's Changi naval base. It will allow Indian Navy to directly engage with Singaporean authorities to use their facilities unlike present structure that take weeks if political clearances need to be obtained in Singapore.

ANSWER: Clean Sea-2017

Explanation:
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise named 'Clean Sea-2017' at sea off Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The objective of exercise was to ascertain preparedness of IGC, resource agencies and other stakeholders in responding to major oil spill in line with provisions of National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP).

ANSWER: World Weightlifting Championships

Explanation:
India's Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won gold medal at World Weightlifting Championships held in Anaheim, United States.

She achieved this feat by lifting new world record of 194kg - 85kg snatch and 109kg clean-and-jerk in the 48 kg weight category.

Thailand's Sukcharoen Thunya won silver medal with total lift of 193, while Segura Ana Iris won bronze medal with 182kg lift.

With this victory, Mirabai Chanu became first Indian in over two decades to win the medal at the Championships. She is only second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to achieve this feat.

Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleshwari had won the top prize in worlds twice in 1994 and 1995.