IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - July 19, 2016

ANSWER: Nav Nalanda Mahavihara

Explanation:

• Ministry of Human Resources Development granted ‘Nav Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM)’ the status of Deemed to be University on November 13, 2006.
• The idea behind the establishment of this Institute was to develop it into a centre of higher studies on the lines of the old Nalanda Viharas.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India had initiated the idea and declared that the ancient seat of Buddhist learning at Nalanda would be revived and thus had emanated the vision of establishing the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.
• At the insistence of Ven. Bhikshu Jagdish Kashyap, the Government of Bihar established a research institute called "Magadh Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Pali and Allied Languages and Buddhist Learning" at Nalanda in 1951. It later came to be known as Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.

ANSWER: Indian Railways

Explanation:

• TRI-NETRA stands for - Terrain imaging for diesel Rivers INfra-red, Enhanced optical &Radar Assisted system.
• TRI-NETRA system shall be made up of high-resolution optical video camera, high sensitivity infra-red video camera and additionally a radar-based terrain mapping system.
• These three components of the system shall act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the Locomotive Pilot.
• TRI-NETRA is designed to “see” the terrain ahead of the running locomotive during bad, foggy, rainy weather by combining the images captured by the three sub-systems and to create a composite video image which shall be displayed in front of the Loco Pilot on a computer monitor.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The concept of TRI-NETRA was developed by Development Cell under the guidance of Member Mechanical, Railway Board while brainstorming on how to use the technology employed by fighter aircrafts to see through clouds and operate in pitch darkness and the technology used by naval ships in mapping the ocean floor and navigating in the night.
• Such an “assisted vision” system is not available readily in any of the advanced railway systems but the manufacturers and technology partners who develop components of such systems for defence are very excited with the concept.
• The system shall also map the terrain ahead so that the driver knows when he is approaching a station or a signal.

ANSWER: Bee keeping

Explanation:

• Vermi-culture -Agriculture of Earth worm.
• Tissue culture-Production of a new plant from plant cells
• Apiculture-Study of honey bee/Bee keeping.
• Lac culture - rearing lac insects.
• Horticulture-Study of fruits and vegetables
• Pomology -Study of fruits
• Sericulture-Rearing of silk worm
• Mori-culture -Production of mulberry
• Viticulture-Production of grapes

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Honey Bees help in pollination. This also helps in obtaining naturally better varieties of plants thus helping in increased yield.
• Bee keeping has double benefits. On the one hand agriculture yield is increasing and we are getting bee products on the other hand. Besides honey, we get wax, venom, royal jelly, propolis, etc. from bee keeping which are used in medicine and cosmetics.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
The Tenth Meeting of the Inter-State Council held on 9.12.2006 discussed Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and status of implementation of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. This year 11th meeting took place. It focussed on following points -

• Consideration of the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations,
• Use of Aadhaar as an identifier and use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for providing subsidies, benefits and Public services,
• Improving quality of school education with focus on improving learning outcomes, incentivising better performance, and Internal security

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
Some important recommendations are -

• The period of six months prescribed in Article 201 for State Legislature to act when the bill is returned by the President can be made applicable for the President also to decide on assenting or withholding assent to a state bill reserved for consideration of the President.
• While selecting Governors, the Central Government should adopt the following strict guidelines as recommended in the Sarkaria Commission report and follow its mandate in letter and spirit :

(i) He should be eminent in some walk of life
(ii) He should be a person from outside the state
(iii) He should be a detached figure and not too intimately connected with the local politics of the states
(iv) He should be a person who has not taken too great a part in politics generally and particularly in the recent past

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• On the question of dismissal of a Chief Minister, the Governor should invariably insist on the Chief Minister proving his majority on the floor of the House for which he should prescribe a time limit.
• The convention of Governors acting as Chancellors of Universities and holding other statutory positions should be done away with. His role should be confined to the Constitutional provisions only.
• The Governor should have the right to sanction for prosecution of a state minister against the advice of the Council of Ministers, if the Cabinet decision appears to the Governor to be motivated by bias in the face of overwhelming material.