IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - July 17 & 18, 2016

ANSWER: Repository for sharing the impact of various governance initiatives with citizens

Explanation:

• 'Transforming India' website is a repository for sharing the impact of various governance initiatives with citizens in real-time.
• This website provides information in a user-friendly format enabling citizens to view the content in the form of Info graphics, e-books, performance dashboard, videos, daily news corner, etc. and engage with the content by comments and sharing the content through Social Media.
• This community based platform facilitates two-way communication between the government and citizens.
• The key facets of the website are that it promotes accountability in major national initiatives, acts as a repository of major policies and decisions and provides a central platform to citizens for sharing of transformational changes that they see around themselves.

ANSWER: Telemedicine

Explanation:

• Social Endeavor for Health and Telemedicine (SEHAT) is a telemedicine health initiative in India launched in August 2015.
• SEHAT initiative was launched with the motive to offer telemedicine center in rural areas of India where the people in rural areas can consult doctors online and also order generic drugs.
• Under the scheme Common Service Centers (CSC) with the support of Apollo and Medanta Hospital telemedicine services was already being offered in many areas.
• Now with the launch of SEHAT health initiative Common Service Centers (CSC) will be extended to 60,000 centers in different cities of India.
• Apollo Hospitals has opened India’s first telemedicine centre in 2000 in Aragonda, Andhra Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Bill Clinton, the then president of the US.

ANSWER: The Excavated Remains at Nalanda

Explanation:

• Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) Gets Inscribed in World Heritage List.
• It presents a key archaeological evidence of a truly international centre for organised learning.
• It has been included as an cultural site.
• About six centuries after Nalanda’s decline, the site was first discovered and reported by Sir Francis Buchanan. The site was systematically excavated and consolidated by Archaeological Survey of India from 1915 to 1937 and again from 1974 to 1982.
• Built ensembles in Nalanda are physical manifestation of influence of ancient Indian pedagogy where planning, architecture and artistic traditions of Indian sub-continent and beyond developed into subsequent architectural and artistic prototypes.
• Nalanda distinguished itself as the earliest planned university of the Indian subcontinent.

ANSWER: Khangchendzonga National Park

Explanation:

• Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) in Sikkim has been inscribed as India's first mixed (cultural as well as natural) heritage site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• KNP exhibits one of the widest altitudinal ranges of any protected area which has valleys and spectacular snow-clad mountains including the world's third highest peak, Mt. Khangchendzonga.
• Incidentally, this was the first instance where both the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) gave what was termed a "clear and positive recommendation" for inscription of a Natural/ Mixed site from India.
• The number of Indian sites on the World Heritage List has now become 35 including seven natural, 27 cultural and one mixed.

ANSWER: Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex

Explanation:

• Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex was declared by UNESCO as World Heritage.
• The site got inscribed as part of the UN body’s recognition of Le Corbusier’s architectural works in different parts of the world.
• UNESCO inscription was under “The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier an outstanding contribution to the Modern Movement”.
• The Capitol Complex buildings include the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Punjab and Haryana Assembly along with monuments Open hand, Martyrs Memorial, Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadow.
• It hosted the International Yoga Day event on June 21, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Tiladhak ancient university was set up in 5th century during the Gupta period.
• A reference to Tiladhak was found in the account of Chinese travellers Hiuen Tsang and Ithsing.
• Heuen Tsang has given a graphic account of a cluster of as many as seven Buddhist monasteries flourishing at "Teleadaka", also called "Tiladhak", at Telhara site, where about a thousand monks studied under the Mahayana school of Buddhism.
• The Ithsing account suggested that Telhara was either a seat of higher research or a competitor to Nalanda University.
• Relics from the site would be housed in the proposed International Museum coming up in Patna.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• Subscribers are contributing through online mode using eNPS portal of NPS Trust. Now, a facility has been made available to contribute online by Subscribers using IPIN credentials in CRA system.
• In Mobile App, the Subscriber will be able to raise the request for Transaction Statement for a particular financial year which will be sent to his registered mail ID at end of the day, can view his/her NPS account, details of the last five contributions credited, can change contact details (Telephone/Mobile no./Email ID), etc.
• The Subscribers can now update/modify their address easily on their own using Aadhaar based authentication.

ANSWER: Nalanda

Explanation:

• Earning the title of ‘Medieval School of Discussion and Logic’, Nalanda`s scholars mastered the art and science of debate developing it into a critical tool for higher learning. Today, the continuity of its systems is also evident in contemporary monasteries in Sri Lanka, Tibet and Nepal.
• In fact, the term Nalanda has become synonymous with aspired standard of education as evidenced in several 21st century namesake institutions all over the world.
• Apart from teaching of topics related to Buddhism, contemporary texts and philosophies, logic, grammar, science, and medicine were also part of the knowledge imparted at Nalanda.

ANSWER: Support the youth in getting foreign placement

Explanation:

• The Centre is launching 50 India International Skill Centres (IISC) across the country, which will support the youth in getting foreign placement.
• In a phased manner government will launch 50 IISC centres in the country, out of which 15 centres are being introduced in UP (6), Kerala (2) and one each in Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan.
• The government, which is celebrating its anniversary the first anniversary of Skill India drive, said it would bridge the global shortage of labour force in the coming years by reaping the demographic dividend of young Indian labour force.