IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Dec 08, 2015

ANSWER: None

Explanation:
- Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children.
- It is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae.
Rotavirus A, the most common species, causes more than 90% of rotavirus infections in humans.
- Himachal Pradesh became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination project.

ANSWER: Uttar Pradesh

Explanation:
- Uttar Pradesh launched first ever international bird watching festival in a bid to promote Uttar Pradesh as an international bird watching destination.
- It will be celebrated at the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS).
- National Chambal Sanctuary is famous for the critically endangered gharial (small crocodiles).

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Almost 290 water basin organizations are engaged under the Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation.
- The Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation has outlined projects to protect water systems against devastating climate change.
- The pact establishes a platform for 10 megacities around the world with a combined population of 85 million to share best practice.
- Developing alternative resources through the reuse of treated waste water, rain water harvesting and wetland conservation or the creation of artificial wetlands also play a key role in the pact’s vision.

ANSWER: Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Explanation:
- Every year 4 December is celebrated as the Navy Day in India.
- It is to commemorate the start of Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
- In one-night attack the Indian Navy sank three vessels near the largest Pakistani port of Karachi. Operation Trident resulted in the first use of anti-ship missiles in the region.

ANSWER: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution

Explanation:
- The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986.
- The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.

ANSWER: Lord Chelmsford

Explanation:
- Zoological Survey of India was established on July 1 in 1916.
- It was offshoot of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, established in 1784 by Sir William Jones.
- It is the highest organization in order of animal research and taxonomy in India.
- It is under Ministry of Environment and Forest Affairs.
- Thomas Nelson Annadale was founder-director of the Zoological Survey of India.
- Zoological Survey of India has headquarters in Kolkata.
- On the basis of the initial categorization of rare animals by the IUCN, the survey published Red Data Book.

ANSWER: Monitoring pipelines

Explanation:
- GAIL is deploying space technology to monitor the pipeline’s Right of Use (RoU).
- It has more than 13,000 km of pipeline network, wherein monthly monitoring of pipeline is presently done via helicopter surveys.
- GAIL will begin live satellite monitoring of its pipeline RoU by January 2016. It is also seeking alternative methods such as advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), which can be integrated with this system.
- It is a R&D pilot project for monitoring of the 610-km-long Dahej–Vijaipur pipeline is one such effort to keep pace with technological advancements enabling time and cost-effective solutions. The Bhuvan-GAIL portal is operated via manual as well as auto-change analysis options to monitor changes along the natural gas pipeline.
- Bhuvan developed by National Remote Sensing Centre, a unit of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is a software application which allows users to explore a 2D/3D representation of the surface of the Earth.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- According to the provisions of the RP Act, a person who is a citizen of India and who has not acquired the citizenship of any other country and is otherwise eligible to be registered as a voter and who is absent from his place of ordinary residence in India owing to employment, education or otherwise is eligible to be registered as a voter in the constituency in which his place of residence in India, as mentioned in his passport, is located.
- The Government had in 2010 allowed voting rights to NRIs but only if physically present in the constituency.
- That was challenged in court as “inherent inequality”.
- EC has submitted a proposal by which NRIs are free to cast their votes in constituencies they are registered they would also be allowed to use the option of proxy, which as of now is only available to service personnel.
- Another option would be to use postal ballot delivered to them by electronic means to cast their vote. This would mean amending the current laws governing right to vote.