IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Apr 30, 2016

ANSWER: Transporting a substance by a fluid due to the fluid's bulk motion

Explanation:

• Advection is a transport mechanism of a substance or conserved property by a fluid due to the fluid's bulk motion.
• An example of advection is the transport of pollutants or silt in a river by bulk water flow downstream. Another commonly advected quantity is energy or enthalpy.
• Advection is sometimes confused with the more encompassing process of convection.
• Convection is the concerted, collective movement of groups or aggregates of molecules within fluids (e.g., liquids, gases) and rheids, through advection or through diffusion or as a combination of both of them.

ANSWER: Sub-centres

Explanation:

• Sub-centers - The most basic units of health in villages; first point of contact between villagers and public health care system in India.
• Primary Health Centres: The basic units with the most basic facilities, and especially serving rural India, generally at the level of a panchayat.
• Community Health Centre CHCs: Community Health Centres are available is basic health unit in the urban areas.
• Taluk hospitals: Taluk level hospitals controlled by the respective state governments and serving the respective taluks (administrative divisions in India, and smaller than districts).
• District Hospitals or General Hospitals: Controlled by the respective state governments and serving the respective districts (administrative divisions in India).

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• Under the direction of Ministry of AYUSH, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy(CCRH) has developed a program on Homoeopathy for Healthy Child.
• The program has 2 components namely, ‘Homoeopathy for teething complaints in children’ and ‘Integration of Homoeopathy with Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)’.
• The component on ‘Homoeopathy for teething complaints in children’ focuses on children in the age group of 6 months to 3 years and aims at promotion of healthy teething by using bio-chemic medicines. Teething associated problems such as diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, irritability etc. are treated with homeopathic medicines.
• The component on ‘Integration of Homoeopathy with RBSK’ focuses on children in the age group of 0 to 18 years and aims at screening, early detection and early intervention of defects, delays, deficiencies and diseases identified under RBSK.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in these blocks have been trained, where in, common problems associated with primary teething were detailed and the use of homoeopathic medicine kits have been detailed.
• The participants have been provided with the medicine kits and data recording registers and subsequently data are being collected and compiled. Nodal officers have been identified at each centre, which are in regular communication with the ASHAs.
• The Anganwadi workers in the blocks have been sensitized of the teething related problems in children and have been requested to refer such cases to the local PHC or to the ANM/ASHA in case of children developing teething related complaints.
• The homoeopathy doctors in the identified districts have also been sensitized about the program being conducted and how ANM & ASHA have been trained on the use of medicine kits.
• They have been requested to coordinate with the ANM & ASHAs in the respective PHCs so that children suffering from dentition related complaints or other complaints can be referred to the homoeopathy doctors as and when required.
• All these programs were conducted in coordination with the district and block level authorities. Experts from homoeopathy, pediatrics and dentistry or community medicine were the resource persons in these programs.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• AYUSH Gram is a concept wherein one village per block will be selected for adoption of method and practice of AYUSH way of life and interventions of health care.
• In AYUSH village, AYUSH based lifestyles are promoted through behavioral change communication, training of village health workers towards identification and use of local medicinal herbs and provision of AYUSH health services.
• The elected village representatives are sensitized towards the concept so that there is also active participation from the community.

ANSWER: Cow urine

Explanation:

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) has reported that its constituent laboratory namely Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow in a study undertaken in collaboration with Go-Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra, Nagpur have found novel use of cow urine distillate (commonly known as Kamdhenu Ark) as activity enhancer and availability facilitator for bioactive molecules including anti-infective and anti-cancer agents.
• Cow urine distillate was found to possess the property of bio-enhancement of an anti-cancer natural agent `Taxol` (paclitaxel) which is produced in microscopic amounts by the Yew tree (Taxus spp.).
• Cow urine distillate, besides enhancing the killing activities of different antibiotics on bacteria, could also enhance the cell division inhibitory activity of paclitaxel against the breast cancer cell line MCF-7.
• Further, a white crystalline precipitate prepared from the cow urine distillate also showed similar activity as that of cow urine distillate.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Government is promoting organic farming across the country under various Central Sector Schemes viz. National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and Network Project on Organic Farming Under ICAR etc.
• Cost of organic agriculture largely depends on on-farm generation of inputs. When on-farm organic inputs are used, cost of production per unit area is less than by 13% under organic agriculture than inorganic management. However, if organic inputs from outside the farm are purchased and utilized, the cost of production increases by about 15-20% depending on the nature of inputs used. Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) models being developed under NPOF promises to meet 70-80% of organic inputs within the farm thus reducing the market input cost considerably.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• Longitudinal Ageing Study is the first long term survey of the elderly population in the country which is aimed at providing comprehensive longitudinal evidence base on health, social and economic wellbeing of the elderly.
• The objectives of LASI are to collect credible scientific data on burden of disease, mental health, functional health, healthcare and social and economic wellbeing of elderly population. LASI data shall be collected based on internationally comparable research design and tools by adopting scientific methods of data collection.
• As per Census 2011, the total population above 60 years of age was 103.83 million in India, which forms 8.6% of the total population of the country. At the present pace of population growth rate, it is likely to rise more rapidly in the coming years due to further increase in life expectancy.
• At present, no representative dataset is available on older population in India. The LASI study will provide the comprehensive new scientific data which are needed to conduct analyses of health, economic and social challenges based on population ageing and to formulate mid-and long-term policies and programmes to address these and other challenges presented by ageing population.
• Such data shall help in monitoring programmes for the elderly population and also generate essential data required for scientific research on various aspects of ageing.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) was launched in September 2014 to give priority attention to the health of Newborn. Newborn health has been identified as the thrust area under National health mission as 56 % of child mortality is contributed by neonatal mortality.
• The plan has clear timeline and goal to track the impact of various interventions specifically introduced to reduce neonatal mortality. INAP has set the target to reach single digit Neonatal mortality rate i.e. less than 10 by 2030. The present neonatal mortality rate is 28 per thousand live births.
• INAP has considered life cycle approach to address the neonatal mortality. That means health of adolescents as well as care of mother during pregnancy; at the time of delivery and after delivery has direct bearing on the health of newborn. Accordingly six life stages have been identified with specific intervention to reduce neonatal mortality.
• The concept of continuum of care i.e linking institutions with community care is another strategic approach in the India newborn action plan. The home based newborn care provided by ASHA addresses this issue appropriately.
• The newer evidence based approaches like empowering ANM to give injection Gentamycin, Injection Vitamin K at birth, Kangaroo mother care for preterm newborn and strengthening of care of sick newborn services have been incorporated in INAP.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• The new amendment includes option to the spouse of the subscriber to continue contribution to APY on death of subscriber before the age of 60 years.
• If the subscriber dies before the age of 60 years, his/her spouse would be given an option to continue contributing to APY account of the subscriber, which can be maintained in the spouse’s name, for the renaming vesting period, till the original subscriber would have attained the age of 60 years. The spouse of the subscriber shall be entitled to receive the same pension amount as that of the subscriber until the death of the spouse.