IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - June 04, 2016

ANSWER: 2

Explanation:

• There are just two international airports in the 8 north-eastern states.
• One is in Assam (in Guwahati) and other is in Manipur (in Imphal).
• Sikkim currently does not have an airport however there are plans for Greenfield airport at Pakyong, Sikkim.
• There also is proposed Greenfield airport at Holongi near Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

ANSWER: 1, 2, 4

Explanation:

• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, it has been decided to undertake a special clean-up initiative focused on 100 iconic heritages, spiritual and cultural places in the country.
• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will be the coordinating Ministry for this initiative, in association with the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State governments.
• The aim of this initiative is to make these 100 places model ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’, that will enhance the experience for visitors from India and abroad.
• Under Phase 1 of this initiative, the following iconic places have been selected for an intensive clean up:

1. Vaishno Devi: Jammu and Kashmir
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: Maharashtra
3. Taj Mahal: Uttar Pradesh
4. Tirupati Temple: Andhra Pradesh
5. Golden Temple: Punjab
6. Manikarnika Ghat: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
7. Ajmer Sharif Dargah: Rajasthan
8. Meenakshi Temple: Tamil Nadu
9. Kamakhya Temple: Assam
10. Jagannath Puri: Odisha

ANSWER: Type of Vultures

Explanation:

• The Himalayan vulture or Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis) is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae.
• Closely related to the European griffon vulture (G. fulvus) and once considered a subspecies of it, this species is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau.
• It is one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors.
• The Himalayan Griffon is closely related to the critically endangered resident Gyps species of vultures but is not endangered. This species is near threatened.

ANSWER: Haryana

Explanation:

• Asia’s first ‘Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme’ has been launched at the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore, Haryana.
• Two Himalayan Griffons were released as a symbol of launch of the program. These two have been in captivity for over 10 years and have been in the aviary with resident Gyps vultures. These birds were wing-tagged and were leg-ringed for identification.
• Diclofenac is a pain killer drug given to cattle which can kill birds. When vultures feed on the carcasses of animals with Diclofenac, they also die.
• Later the drug was banned by the government.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• ‘Jeevan Pramaan’ is an "Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate" for pensioners.
• It is an initiative launched by the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare, especially for the benefit of the aged and infirm Pensioners/Family Pensioners.
• Under the scheme Digital Life Certificates can be submitted by Pensioners from personal computers and laptops at home or by visiting a conveniently located Common Service Centre or the nearest branch of any Pension Disbursing Bank. Submission of Digital Life Certificate also ensures authenticity of Pension Payments.
• The proposed digital certification will do away with the requirement of a pensioner having to submit a physical Life Certificate in November each year, in order to ensure continuity of pension being credited into his account.
• The Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software application which will enable the recording of the pensioner's Aadhar number and biometric details from his mobile device or computer, by plugging in a biometric reading device.
• Key details of the pensioner, including date, time, and biometric information will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis, ultimately enabling the Pension Disbursing Agency to access a Digital Life Certificate. This will conclusively establish that the pensioner was alive at the time of authentication.
• The earlier requirement entailed that a pensioner either personally presents himself before the Pension Disbursing Agency, or submits a Life Certificate issued by authorities specified by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

ANSWER: Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation

Explanation:

• Afghan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam) is a landmark infrastructure project undertaken by Government of India on river Chist-e-Sharif, in Herat province of Afghanistan.
• The project is executed and implemented by WAPCOS Ltd., a Government of India Undertaking under ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• Afghan-India Friendship Dam is a multipurpose project planned for generating 42 MW of power, irrigating 75000 hectares of land, water supply and other benefits to the people of Afghanistan.
• All equipment and material were transported from India to Bander-e-Abbas port of Iran via sea and then along 1200 km by road from there to Islam Kila border post at Iran-Aghanistan border and then further 300 km by road from the border post to the site. Cement, steel reinforcement, explosives etc. were imported to Afghanistan from neighboring countries.

ANSWER: Monolithic Construction

Explanation:

• The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) will henceforth, adopt modern Monolithic construction technology for all major projects of Rs.100 cr and above each.
• The shift by CPWD is in the context of rising concerns over dust pollution, recommendation of the Standing Committee on Urban Development and observations of National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court over the alarming levels of Air and Noise Pollution in Delhi and other major cities of the country.
• Benefits of Monolithic construction technology which is suited for large housing projects and office complexes include; cost saving due to reduced construction time, much lesser air and noise pollution and construction waste, no use of timber, optimum use of water, better finish, durable construction, all weather construction, increased labour productivity etc. Only Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) will be used doing away with the need of moving sand, cement, aggregates, bricks and steel shuttering materials to the construction site.
• This technology also furthers the cause of Swachh Bharat Mission by ensuring neat and tidy workplace with minimal environmental pollution and of Skill India Mission with industry taking up skill up gradation activities while enabling Skill, Scale and Speed in large construction works.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• A Tariqa is the term for a school or order of Sufism.
• The most popular tariqa in the West is the Mevlevi Order, named after Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.
• The four main tariqas in South Asia are: the Naqshbandi Order, named after Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari; the Qadiri Order, named after Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani; the Chishti Order, named after Khawaja Mawdood Chisti while Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti is the most famous sheikh; the Suhrawardi Order, named after Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi.

ANSWER: France

Explanation:

• For the first time, under the impetus of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French Space Agency (CNES), space agencies of more than 60 countries agreed to engage their satellites, to coordinate their methods and their data to monitor human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
• The goal now will be to inter-calibrate these satellite data so that they can be combined and compared over time. In other words, it is to make the transition to closely coordinated and easily accessible ‘big space data’.
• Out of the 50 essential climate variables being monitored today, 26 - including rising sea level, sea ice extent and greenhouse gas concentrations in all layers of the atmosphere - can be measured only from space.