IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Feb 27, 2016

ANSWER: Mammals

Explanation:

• Pangolins are threatened by hunting (for their meat and armor) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats, and are the most trafficked mammal in the world.
• Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy among several communities in India as well as a "tonic food" because of its alleged medicinal properties.
• Pangolins, often called scaly anteaters (or trenggiling), are toothless and have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only known mammal with this adaptation.
• Of the eight species found worldwide (four each in Asia and Africa), two are known from India — Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
• It is found in tropical regions throughout Africa and Asia.
• International trade of pangolin is also prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• India ranks 11th.
• USA ranks 2nd.
• Euro Area is considered one unit and has the largest reserves.
• After USA there is Germany, Italy, France, China and Russia.

ANSWER: Agriculture

Explanation:

• Association for Innovation Development of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture (A-IDEA), technology business incubator of NAARM is funded by Department of Science & Technology, aims to build powerful Agribusiness and technology ventures through cutting edge technology and economic value return.
• NAARM is National Academy of Agricultural Research Management.
• NAARM through A-IDEA has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to support Agribusiness start-ups.
• Under this partnership, NRDC shall provide services like IPR Management, Technology Management, Mentoring services, Value addition services, Regulatory Assistance, Skill Development/EDP/Cluster Development and Limited Angle /Seed Fund support to agri based start-ups in the incubator.

ANSWER: Overlapping of patents

Explanation:

• A patent thicket carries a negative connotation and is best described as a dense web of overlapping intellectual property rights that a company must hack its way through in order to actually commercialize new technology.
• Patent thickets are used to defend against competitors designing around a single patent. Say a company designs a product. Others may patent the same product with minor tweaks. To avoid this, the product is under a patent thicket i.e. an overlapping web of patents.
• Patent thickets are also sometimes called patent floods or patent clusters.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• As of now, only the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is permitted to manufacture ammunition.
• The Defence Ministry is working on proposals to further open up and streamline the defence procurement process.
• These include allowing the private sector to manufacture ammunition and longer tenures for Army officers in the acquisition wing to ensure continuation.
• As the requirement for various types of ammunition by the Army keeps changing, the private sector will be given orders for 10 years to ensure financial viability.
• Also the short duration of Army officers in the acquisition wing delays procedures as personnel are frequently replaced.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• Pre-requisites for a birth companion

1. The birth companion has to be a female relative and preferably one who has undergone the process of labor.
2. In facilities where privacy protocols are followed in the labour room, the husband of the pregnant woman can be allowed as a birth companion.
3. She should not suffer from any communicable diseases.
4. She should wear clean clothes.
5. She should be willing to stay with the pregnant woman throughout the process of labour.
6. She should not interfere in the work of hospital staff and the treatment procedures.
7. She should not attend to other women in the labour room.

• The World Health Organization promotes labor companionship as a core element of care for improving maternal and infant health.
• A trained birth companion contributes to reduced tension and shortened labour, increased mother's feelings of control, decreased interventions and caesareans. It also enhances the partner's participation, improves outcome for the newborn, facilitates parent/infant bonding, and decreases postpartum depression while increasing positive feelings about the birth experience.

ANSWER: Monitoring location of public road transport vehicles

Explanation:

• The objective of the scheme is to ensure safety of women and girl child in public transport by monitoring location of public road transport vehicles to provide immediate assistance in minimum response time to the victims in distress.
• The proposed scheme under the “Nirbhaya Fund” envisages setting up of a National Emergency Response System with a control room under the overall control of Ministry of Home Affairs, which will receive alerts from distressed women and take action on it.
• Under the scheme for giving grants to states for setting up driving schools, preference is given to proposals for driving school for women.