IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Dec 16, 2016

ANSWER: Maldives

Explanation:
It is joint training exercise of the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force.

The aim of the Joint Exercise is to acquaint both forces with each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of amphibious and counter insurgency/ Counter terrorism environment as also to enhance the existing military relationship between the Indian Army and the Maldivian National Defence Force.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The Government has brought about amendments in the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 to enable Joint Ventures (JVs) of NPCIL & Public Sector companies to set up nuclear power projects.

The main objective of enabling the JVs is to achieve expansion of nuclear power capacity in the country.

So far, three joint venture companies – Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Limited (NPCIL-NTPC Ltd.), NPCIL-Indian Oil Nuclear Energy Corporation Limited (NPCIL-IOCL) and NPCIL-Nalco Power Company Limited (NPCIL- NALCO) have been incorporated.

Exploratory discussions have also been held with other Public Sector companies and Indian Railways in this regard.

ANSWER: Cancer treatment

Explanation:
Low cost radiotherapy equipment like Bhabhatron, IMAGIN, developed indigenously has been donated by Government of India to various countries like Kenya, Mongolia, etc.

Imagin simulator is used for localization of treatment areas and for verification of treatment plans prior to starting treatment.

Therapy Simulator helps in localizing the radiation port onto target tumor location and give a quality assured radiotherapy for better treatment outcome.

IMAGIN has advanced CBCT Imaging capability for accurate image acquisition and reconstruction in one gantry rotation.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:
The satellites designed by ISRO, which are currently in operation, to support services and applications for farmers, include Resourcesat-2, Resourcesat-2A, RISAT-1, Cartosat-1, Kalpana-1, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR.

The satellite-enabled services in conjunction with ground data, to support farmers in India include weather forecasting, agro-advisory, agromet services, soil moisture and agricultural extension activities to support farming operations in the country by India Meteorology Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Also, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) collaborates with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on various applications using satellite data and geospatial technology in agriculture sector, which include - (i) horticultural crop inventory and site suitability for expansion in under-utilised areas, (ii) crop assessment using medium and high resolution satellite data, (iii) field data collection with field photos using mobile App, (iv) crop cutting experiments based on satellite derived crop vigor information.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Pests of Plant, continue to be one of the biggest constraints to food and agricultural production. They cause on an average an annual loss of more than 40 percent of the world’s food supply, thus posing a threat to our food security.

Country has recently witnessed emergences and or acclimatisation of destructive invasive pests and diseases like South American pin worm on tomato; Western flower thrips on flowers; Tropical race of fusarium wilt on banana, spiraling whitefly in coconut, whitefly in cotton, etc.

To thwart any possibilities of biosecurity threat to Indian wheat due to emergence of stem rust race UG99 in Africa, India acted proactively to screen varieties against the pathogen in Kenya. As a result number of UG99 resistant varieties deployed in the country and prevented occurrence of epidemic.

During 2015-16, immediately after an invasive wheat blast disease destroyed large acreage of wheat in Bangladesh, India sent 40 wheat genotypes to CYMMIT for screening against blast in South American countries where the disease is prevalent.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:
Several initiatives are currently being undertaken to enhance the quality of education across the spectrum.

In elementary education, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme harmonized with Right to Education (RTE) aims for improvements in school infrastructure and also improving learning outcomes.

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), ICT in Schools, Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE), Shaala Siddhi, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan are being implemented to improve the quality of secondary education.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
In higher education, various schemes ,namely, Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Global Initiative for Academics Network (GIAN), Impacting Research, Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme(TEQIP), Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT), Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), National Digital Library, campus connect programme, Uchhatar Avishkar Abhiyan, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan are being implemented to improve the quality of higher education.

To promote objective assessment of performance annually, Government has launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in September 2015.

A number of initiatives are also undertaken by UGC and AICTE for quality improvement in higher and technical education.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
The aim of scheme is to give cash awards to consumers who utilize digital payment instruments for personal consumption expenditures.

Under the Lucky Grahak Yojana, daily reward of Rs 1000 to be given to 15,000 lucky Consumers for a period of 100 days;

Weekly prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10,000 and Rs. 5000 for Consumers who use the alternate modes of digital Payments. This will include all forms of transactions viz. UPI, USSD, AEPS and RuPay Cards but will for the time being exclude transactions through Private Credit Cards and Digital Wallets.

3 Mega Prizes for consumers worth Rs 1 cr, 50 lakh, 25 lakh for digital transactions between 8th November, 2016 to 13th April, 2017 to be announced on 14th April, 2017(Ambedkar Jayanti)

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:
The primary aim of these schemes is to incentivize digital transactions so that electronic payments are adopted by all sections of the society, especially the poor and the middle class.

This scheme is for merchants.

There will be prizes for Merchants for all digital transactions conducted at Merchant establishments

Under it, weekly prizes worth Rs. 50,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs. 2,500 would be given to merchants.

3 Mega Prizes for merchants worth Rs 50 lakhs, 25 lakh, 12 lakh for digital transactions between 8th November, 2016 to 13th April, 2017 to be announced on 14th April, 2017(Ambedkar Jayanti).

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
To ensure that the focus of the schemes is on small transactions (entered into by common people), incentives shall be restricted to transactions within the range of Rs 50 and Rs 3000.

All transactions between consumers and merchants; consumers and government agencies and all AEPS transactions will be considered for the incentive scheme.

NITI Aayog announced the launch of the schemes Lucky Grahak Yojana and the Digi-?? Vyapar Yojana to give cash awards to consumers and merchants who utilize digital payment instruments for personal consumption expenditures.

The schemes specially focus on bringing the poor, lower middle class and small businesses into the digital payment fold.

It has been decided that National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) shall be the implementing agency for this scheme.

NPCI is a not for profit company which is charged with a responsibility of guiding India towards being a cashless society.