IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Aug 13 & 14, 2016

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• The LIGO-India project will be jointly coordinated and executed by three premier Indian lead institutions viz., the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
• Some of the Universities in the country will also participate in the project.
• The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory on the Indian soil in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the U.S. run by Caltech and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for our scientists and engineers to dig deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier.
• LIGO-India will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting edge technology for the Indian industry which will be engaged in the construction of eight kilometre long beam tube at ultra-high vacuum on a levelled terrain.

ANSWER: Sanitation and open defecation

Explanation:

• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS), Government of India, launched a short film series on the Swachh Bharat people’s movement titled, ‘An Open Mind’, in honour of sanitation champions across the country who are driving positive behaviour change in their communities by helping eliminate open defecation and adopt safe sanitation practices.
• The five short films showcase real-life stories of individuals from different walks of life who have made the Swachh Bharat mission their own by adopting innovative ideas to encourage the use of toilets in their communities and adopt safe waste treatment practices.
• These stories are examples of a wider citizens movement across the country to encourage the adoption of safe sanitation practices and realize the dream of an Open Defecation Free India by 2019.
• The launch films have been created by BBC Media Action.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) was started in India in 1991. It has the mandate to resolve problems related to global environment.
• GEF provides financial support for environmental improvements.
• The span of GEF is for five years which reflects sustainable agriculture development, land degradation, bio diversification and sustainable forest management because it is directly related to the adaptation of climate change process.
• For the first time, Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved the project related to Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on the subject “to obtain revolutionary change on the strategies and methodologies for sustainable agriculture in India” to implement it in a various parts of five states viz Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa and Mizoram.

ANSWER: Seeing

Explanation:

• Key scientific parameter, viz. ‘Atmospheric turbulence or Seeing measured in arc-second’ is assessed while determining the location of telescopes.
• An observer, be they at a mountain top observatory, or in their own back yard must, at all times contend with the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a notoriously unpredictable and limiting factor in obtaining fine views of the Planets, and close binary stars.
• Hanle in Ladakh has been identified as one of the potential alternate sites for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The original site for TMT was Mauna Kea in Hawaii in the United States of America.

ANSWER: High frequency temperature fluctuations of the atmosphere

Explanation:

• Seeing is high frequency temperature fluctuations of the atmosphere, and the mixing of air parcels of different temperatures/densities.
• This behaviour of the atmosphere is seen at the eyepiece as a blurred, moving, or scintillating image.
• There are roughly 3 main areas where Atmospheric turbulence occurs. Near ground seeing (0 – 100 metres or so.) central troposphere (100m – 2km), and High troposphere (6-12km.) Each area exhibits different characteristics.
• Hanle in Ladakh has been identified as one of the potential alternate sites for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).
• Hanle site has lower seeing values of 0.9-1.2 arc sec as compared to the alternate sites in Chile and Canary Islands of Spain (La Palma) which have seeing values of 0.55 arc sec. Thus, scientifically, Hanle has less advantageous characteristics for hosting a mega telescope like the TMT in comparison to the other alternate sites.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• As per the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy of the Government, FDI is not permitted in nuclear power sector. Thus, foreign companies cannot invest in nuclear power.
• Nuclear power projects to be set up with foreign technical cooperation are planned to be funded by a mix of equity and debt, with equity to be mobilized from internal resources of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), Joint Venture companies between NPCIL and other Central Public Sector Undertakings and Government budgetary support.
• Foreign companies can however, invest in the supply chain for nuclear power projects.

ANSWER: Thermal coal power plants

Explanation:

• Government has approved the research and development of Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) Technology for Thermal Coal Power Plants.
• The project will enable Indian industries to design, manufacture and commission higher efficiency coal fired power plants with indigenously developed technology and manufacturing processes.
• This will be the first time large power plant equipment will be manufactured with advanced technologies, but without any Technological Collaboration/ Licensing Agreement with foreign companies.
• Power generation from coal contributes to about 38% of CO2 pollution in the atmosphere. 20% reduction in CO2 emission at source combined with 20% saving in coal consumption compared to a sub-critical plant and by about 11% compared to a supercritical plant are the primary reasons justifying this project.
• Use of this technology in all future large power plants will ensure energy security for the country for a longer period, along with a greener environment.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• A committee is set to recommend the scrapping of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and replacing it with the National Medical Commission (NMC).
• Four Boards —Under Graduate Medical Board, Post Graduate Medical Board, Accreditation and Assessment Board and a board for registration of medical colleges as well monitoring of the ethics in the profession — will be set up under the Commission.
• The committee is also debating if a universal exit exam should be introduced for medical students to make the medical education system merit-based.
• The NMC will become the main regulatory body and will take over all roles and responsibilities of the MCI.
• The main objective of the reform is to end the Inspector Raj in the medical education sector.
• For allowing private medical colleges, the reformed system will strive to be more assessment-based, focussing on outcomes rather than relying on the inputs-based eligibility criteria in the present system.