IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Jan 15 & 16, 2017

ANSWER: IDA

Explanation:

• A financing agreement for International Development Agency (IDA) credit of US$ 48 million (equivalent) for the ‘Nagaland Health Project’ was signed with the World Bank.
• The Financing Agreement was signed by Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of Government of India and World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
• A Project Agreement was also signed by Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland and World Bank.
• The Objectives of the project are to improve health services and increase their utilization by communities in targeted locations in Nagaland.
• Communities in targeted locations will benefit from project activities at the community and health facility levels while the population of the state as a whole will benefit from improvements in higher-level facilities as well as system-wide investments.
• The project will directly benefit about 600,000 people.
• It will support and complement existing systems and mechanisms involving communities under the National Health Mission.
• The closing date of Nagaland health Project is 31st March, 2023.

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• The Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India is to form a National Alliance against Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation with the aim of developing a comprehensive outreach system to engage parents, schools, communities, NGO partners and local governments (PRIs and ULBs) as well as police and lawyers.
• It is to ensure better implementation of the legal framework, policies, national strategies and standards in relation to child protection and child rights.
• Various stakeholders in it will be Ministries of Home Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Electronics and Information Technology, Department of School Education and Literacy, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and civil society organisations working on the issue at Civil Services Officer’s Institute (CSOI), Vinay Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
• Child abuse is finding new forms and channels through mobile and digital technologies.
• Online child abuse and exploitation amplifies existing forms of offline bullying, stalking and harassment.
• It also facilitates the sexual exploitation of children through the production and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials and by facilitating the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.
• Online abuse knows no national boundaries.
• Even though India has a comprehensive legal framework for protection of child rights in the form of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, POCSO Act, 2012 along with RTE Act 2009 and recently amended Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2106, there is limited awareness of online risks for children, both among parents and guardian and children themselves.
• However, to ensure protection of children from online sexual abuse, all stakeholders must work together.
• In this context, the National Alliance on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation has the following broad objectives:

1. Bring a common definition of child pornography including amendment of acts (Information technology Act, POCSO Act).

2. Set up a multi-member secretariat based in MWCD with a portal inclusive of a hotline for reporting and strengthening existing service delivery systems.

3. Provide a platform for Government/ NGOs and other child rights activists for networking and information sharing.

4. Document and showcases success stories and best practices in terms of prevention of online abuse and exploitation of children.

5. Inform and educate member organisations, parents, teachers, front line service providers and children on the rights of the children and various issues related to online child abuse and exploitation.

6. Provide a forum for advocacy for child rights and policy inputs based on research and studies.

ANSWER: NGT

Explanation:

• The National Green Tribunal imposed an interim nationwide ban on use of glass-coated ‘manja’ for flying kites as the sharp string poses a danger to humans, animals and birds.
• A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar passed the order after noting that ‘manja’, string coated with glass and metal powder and used for flying kites, poses a threat to the environment.
• The green panel said that the ban order would apply on nylon, Chinese and cotton manja coated with glass.
• It directed Manja Association of India to submit report to Central Pollution Control Board on harmful effects of kite strings.
• November 2015 order of the Allahabad High Court banned the use of Chinese manja in entire Uttar Pradesh.
• Also ‘manja’ posed a huge threat when it came into contact with live overhead electric wires, leading to grid failure.
• Due to ‘manja’ being coated with glass, metals and other sharp material, these strings act as good conductors of electricity, increasing the probability of detached manja strings stuck in power lines, electrocuting kite flyers and passers-by coming into contact with these strings.
• PETA also said that minor children were engaged by the cottage industry for the manufacture of ‘manja’ which caused respiratory problems as they inhaled harmful substances which were extremely detrimental to their health.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The Election Commission registers political parties for the purpose of elections and grants them recognition as national or state parties on the basis of their poll performance.
• The other parties are simply declared as registered-unrecognised parties.
• The recognition granted by the Commission to the parties determines their right to certain privileges like allocation of the party symbols, etc.
• Every national party is allotted a symbol exclusively reserved for its use throughout the country.
• Similarly, every state party is allotted a symbol exclusively reserved for its use in the state or states in which it is so recognised.
• Thus the election commission allots the symbols even to national and state parties but keeps the symbols reserved for those parties.
• A registered-unrecognised party, on the other hand, can select a symbol from a list of free symbols.
• In other words, the Commission specifies certain symbols as ‘reserved symbols’ which are meant for the candidates set up by the recognised parties and others as ‘free symbols’ which are meant for other candidates.
• In case a party gets divided into two or more factions, the factions can decide amongst themselves as to who will lay claim to the original party symbol.
• If all the parties are interested, then the Election Commission allots the symbol to the faction having majority.
• In the recent scenario of Samajwadi Party (symbol-bicycle), the poll body applied the test of majority supported as approved by the Supreme Court while deciding the case in favour of Akhilesh Yadav, whose group enjoys overwhelming majority support both among the legislative and organizational wing of the party.

ANSWER: Anti-cancer properties

Explanation:

• The Indian long pepper, widely popular for spicing up food, may soon be used as a potential cancer treatment drug, according to a new study.
• The Indian long pepper contains a chemical that could stop your body from producing an enzyme that is commonly found in tumours in large numbers.
• UT Southwestern Medical Enter scientists have uncovered the chemical process behind anti-cancer properties of a spicy Indian pepper plant called the long pepper, whose suspected medicinal properties date back thousands of years.
• The secret lies in a chemical called Piperlongumine (PL), which has shown activity against many cancers including prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma, leukaemia, primary brain tumours and gastric cancer.
• PL converts to hPL, an active drug that silences a gene called GSTP1.
• The GSTP1 gene produces a detoxification enzyme that is often overly abundant in tumours.