IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - July 05, 2016

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• PM of India visited Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
• Capital of Kenya - Nairobi.
• Capital of South Africa - Cape Town (legislative); Pretoria (administrative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
• Capital of Mozambique - Maputo.
• Capital of Tanzania – Dodoma.
• President of India visited - Ghana, Ivory Coast and Namibia

ANSWER: IGI airport, Delhi

Explanation:

• World’s largest Charkha (spinning wheels) was installed at the Terminal 3 of IGI Airport Delhi.
• The idea behind displaying the world’s biggest charkha at the country’s “busiest airport” is to highlight India’s quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.
• All the existing artworks at the terminal - Mudras, Regal procession, Elephant statues, Surya Sculpture, Suryanamaskar and Worli Art among others - depict and showcase Indian heritage globally.
• The four-tones Charkha made from high-quality Burma teak wood is estimated to last for over 50 years.
• Charkha represents Swadeshi, self-sufficiency, and at the same time interdependence, because the wheel is at the center of a network of cotton growers, carders, weavers, distributors, and users.

ANSWER: Tamil Nadu

Explanation:

• At present, there are only a few ports in India that have sufficient draft and can match global cargo handling efficiencies. Currently, all of India's trans-shipment traffic gets handled in Colombo, Singapore and other international ports. Indian port industry loses out upto Rs 1,500 Crores of revenues each year.
• Establishing this Major port at Enayam will not only act as a major gateway container port for Indian cargo that is presently trans-shipped outside the country, but also become a trans-shipment hub for the global East-West trade route.
• Enayam will also reduce the logistics cost for exporters and importers in South India who currently depend on trans-shipment in Colombo or other ports thus incurring additional port handling charges.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• Both countries have a large segment of their population living in rural areas and are pre-dominantly dependent on agriculture and its allied activities for their livelihoods.
• The MoU will help to establish a framework for cooperation between the National Development Unit, Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Mauritius and the Ministry of Rural Development of the Republic of India in the sphere of rural development.
• The MoU will encourage cooperation in the field of rural development and capacity building on the basis of equality and mutual benefit between both countries.
• Both countries have agreed to coordinate and facilitate appropriate technical cooperation, including the access to Indian expertise institutions that can assist in fulfilling the objectives of this MoU, exchange of relevant information and documents in the sphere of rural development, including scientific and technical information together with policies and support measures adopted to foster rural development, cooperation by exchanging relevant information on issues of mutual interest, undertaking exchange visits on programmes to foster sharing of experience, collaboration to strengthen their human resource capacity through sector-specific in-country training in Mauritius and training at reputed institutions in India through customized schemes and facilitating the transfer of latest technology, state of the art equipment and materials, and share best practices.

ANSWER: Prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs

Explanation:

• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mozambique on Drug demand reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals and related matters.
• The MoU is aimed to enhance mutual cooperation between the two countries in combating illicit trafficking in Narcotic drugs, Psychotropic substances and their precursors through exchange of information, expertise and capacity building.

ANSWER: Mozambique

Explanation:

• The Union Cabinet has approved a long-term contract by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for import of pulses either through the private channels or Government-to-Government (G2G) sales through State Agencies nominated by the two countries.
• The MoU will augment domestic availability of pulses in India and thereby stabilise its prices.
• To mitigate the shortfall in availability of pulses and supplement the existing efforts at meeting the requirements, Government has decided to enter into long term G2G arrangement with Mozambique so as to ensure assured availability of pulses.
• The signing of this MoU with Mozambique may also lead to similar arrangements with other countries.

ANSWER: Traditional Medicine

Explanation:

• The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Tanzania in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
• The MoU will provide structured frame work for the cooperation between the two countries for the promotion and propagation of Indian Traditional Systems of Medicine & Homeopathy in Tanzania.
• Traditional Medicine is an important element of life of Tanzanian people and Traditional medicines are used as first aid or stop-gap measure before the patient is referred to modern health facilities.
• The Ministry of AYUSH as a part of its mandate to propagate Indian systems of Medicine globally had signed MoUs with several other countries which include China, Malaysia, Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc.

ANSWER: Women solar engineers

Explanation:

• ‘Solar Mamas’, a group of rural women solar engineers from Africa who have been trained under GOI-supported programmes to fabricate, install, use, repair and maintain solar lanterns and household solar lighting systems in their villages.