IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - June 28, 2016

ANSWER: Sacred Groove

Explanation:

• Mangar Bani, last surviving natural forest of Delhi is protected by Gurjars of nearby area.
• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) had earmarked the Mangar Bani grove in Haryana as “no-construction zone” and said that it would be out of bounds for tourism activities.
• Besides the core area of Mangar Bani, the NCRPB had decided that a 500-metre buffer radius around the forest will also be earmarked as “no-construction zone”, as proposed by Haryana.
• It is a part of the Aravalli’s.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• One of the most important traditional uses of sacred groves was that it acted as a repository for various Ayurvedic medicines.
• Other uses involved a source of replenishable resources like fruits and honey. However, in most sacred groves it was taboo to hunt or chop wood.
• The vegetation cover helps reduce soil erosion and prevents desertification, as in Rajasthan.
• The groves are often associated with ponds and streams, and meet water requirements of local communities. They sometimes help in recharging aquifers as well.
• In modern times, sacred groves have become biodiversity hotspots, as various species seek refuge in the areas due to progressive habitat destruction, and hunting.
• Sacred groves often contain plant and animal species that have become extinct in neighboring areas. They therefore harbor great genetic diversity.
• Besides this, sacred groves in urban landscapes act as "lungs" to the city as well, providing much needed vegetation cover.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• The Aravali Range is a range of mountains in western India running approximately 692 km (430 mi) in a northeastern direction across the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana, ending in Delhi.
• The Aravalli range are the oldest Plateau mountains in India. The northern end of the range continues as isolated hills and rocky ridges into Haryana state, ending in Delhi.
• The famous Delhi Ridge is the last leg of the Aravalli Range, which traverses through South Delhi and terminates into Central Delhi where Raisina hill is its last extension. It is one of the worlds' oldest mountain ranges.

ANSWER: Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System

Explanation:

• Department of P&PW has introduced an online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System called ‘BHAVISHYA’.
• Actions for timely payment of retirement dues and issue of Pension Payment Order (PPO) start one years before the date of retirement of the employee. There are a number of intervening stages and the system will pinpoint delays at each stage to enable timely interventions.
• The tracking can be done by the retiring employee as well as the administrative authorities.
• In addition, forms required during the process are available in electronic format. The retiring employee can fill the forms online. It facilitates the administrative authorities by processing the claims and passing on the calculated amounts and other details to the Pay and Accounts Offices.
• The new system will also capture personal information, service data and contact details like mobile number and e-mail etc. The retiring employees will be kept informed of the progress of pension sanction process through SMS/E-mail.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• With a view to maintain price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth, the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (RBI Act) has been amended by the Finance Act, 2016 to provide for a statutory and institutionalised framework for a Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). A Committee-based approach will add lot of value and transparency to monetary policy decisions.
• Out of the six Members of MPC, three Members will be from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), including the Governor, who will be the ex-officio Chairperson, the Deputy Governor, RBI and one officer of RBI.
• The other three Members of MPC will be appointed by the Central Government, on the recommendations of a Search-cum-Selection Committee, which will be headed by the Cabinet Secretary. These three Members of MPC will be experts in the field of economics or banking or finance or Monetary policy and will be appointed for a period of 4 years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment.
• The meetings of the MPC shall be held at least 4 times a year and it shall publicise its decisions after each such meeting.

ANSWER: It is for monitoring loans which are given out

Explanation:

• Under Prime Minister’s MUDRA Yojana, ‘Loan Origination System’ has been introduced under which credit history of beneficiaries would be tracked to help them develop further by extending all necessary support.
• The system is for proper monitoring of the loans given out under the MUDRA Yojana.
• Further, a portal and mobile app for a loan origination system is in the pipeline to monitor the entire process and time taken for dispersal of the loan.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• National Biogas and Manure Management Programme is a Central Sector Scheme, which provides for setting up of Family Type Biogas Plants mainly for rural and semi-urban/households.
• A family type biogas plant generates biogas from organic substances such as cattle –dung, and other bio-degradable materials such as biomass from farms, gardens, kitchens and night soil wastes etc.
• The objective of the scheme is to provide clean gaseous fuel for cooking and organic bio-manure as a by-product in the form of biogas plant left over slurry, which contains higher values of Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P&K).
• NBMMP also helps in mitigating drudgery of women in rural and semi-urban areas by saving in their time both in collection of firewood, making cattle dung cakes and cooking.
• A biogas plant will facilitate in achieving sanitary in villages by linking sanitary toilets with cattle dung based biogas plants and the slurry bio-manure can be applied for crop production in solid, liquid or dried form.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The process of biogas generation is called anaerobic digestion (AD) and salient benefits of biogas technology are -

• It provides clean gaseous fuel for cooking and lighting.
• Digested slurry from biogas plants is used as enriched bio-manure to supplement the use of chemical fertilizers. The slurry bio-manure can be applied for crop production in solid, liquid or dried form.
• It improves sanitation in villages and semi -urban areas by linking sanitary toilets with biogas plants.
• Biogas Plants help in reducing the causes of climate change.
• It has the potential for leveraging livelihood development as well as tackling the issues related with health hazard associated with indoor air pollution.