IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Feb 26, 2016

ANSWER: 1, 3, 4

Explanation:

• The influenza virus affects mainly the nose, throat, bronchi and occasionally lungs.
• Influenza, commonly known as ‘flu’.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• The virus contains a protein that masks the virus entering the cell. In this way, the influenza virus can spread more easily before the immune system recognises that it is a virus and attempts to fight it.
• In Autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues and creates chronic inflammation.
• The little protein that is able to mask the influenza virus from the immune system can be used to combat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis as well as the relatively rare disease lupus, which to a great extent affects young women.
• The protein’s immunosuppressant effect can possibly be used to develop better treatments for these types of diseases, where the immune system is chronically overactive. By suppressing the immune system’s reaction, the symptoms can be reduced.

ANSWER: NH 4

Explanation:

• National Highway 4 (NH 4) is a major National Highway in Western and Southern India. NH 4 links four of the 10 most populous Indian cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, and Chennai.
• In a major initiative, Maharashtra became the first State government to launch an initiative for road safety to transform the 95-km Mumbai-Pune Expressway into a ‘zero fatality corridor’ over the next five years.
• A speed management test will be done to determine an ideal speed limit on the Expressway.
• They plan to deploy radar-based camera technology to identify the speed and the driver even at night.

ANSWER: SaveLIFE

Explanation:

• The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and road safety NGO SaveLIFE Foundation to reduce an average of 130 deaths per year in roads accidents on the Expressway.
• Making it a first 360 degree intervention across engineering, emergency care, enforcement, and education, the zero fatality corridor initiative will collaborate with the Maharashtra Highway Police, IRB Infrastructure, DY Patil University, Ogilvy ad agency, JP Research India Ltd, BVG, which runs the 108 ambulance service, and 10 private and government hospitals on the vicinity of the Expressway.

ANSWER: Testing alcohol level in breathe

Explanation:

• It is used to measure the amount of consumed alcohol.
• The police as well as doctors frequently use it to test drunks drivers and alcohol consumed respectively.
• It measures alcohol content through breathe and not the amount of alcohol present in blood or body of the person.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The Government has formulated the National Oil Spill –Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) for establishing an integrated national system for responding promptly and effectively to deal with any oil pollution incident.
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is designated as the Central Coordinating Agency (CCA) for marine oil spill response activities.

ANSWER: Women who have experienced the process of labor and provide support to other women experiencing labor

Explanation:

• Birth companions are women who have experienced the process of labor and provide continuous one - to - one support to other women experiencing labor and child birth.
• In an innovative move aimed at reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio and Infant Mortality Rate, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken a significant decision to allow birth companions during delivery in public health facilities.
• Birth companions provide emotional support (continuous reassurance), information about labor progress and advice regarding coping techniques, comfort measures (comforting touch, massages, promoting adequate fluid intake and output), and advocacy (helping the woman articulate her wishes to the other).

ANSWER: T.S.R. Subramanian

Explanation:

• The Government of India has constituted a ‘Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy’. The Committee consists of Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Former Cabinet Secretary as the Chairman and Smt. Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sevaram Sharma, former Home Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sudhir Mankad, former Chief Secretary, Gujarat & Prof. J.S. Rajput, former Director, NCERT as members.
• The Committee has to examine the outcome documents, recommendations and suggestions received and formulate a draft National Education Policy as well as a Framework for Action (FFA).
• An unprecedented collaborative, multi-stakeholder and multi-pronged consultation process for formulating the New Education Policy (NEP) has been undertaken by the Government of India. The three-pronged consultation process included online, grassroots and national level thematic deliberations.