IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - May 17, 2016

ANSWER: Revival of brain dead patients

Explanation:

• Anupam Hospital in Uttarakhand is carrying out Project ReAnima, the world’s first clinical trial on the revival of brain dead patients.
• The project is a joint venture between the Philadelphia-based biotech company Bioquark Inc, Revita Life Science and Anupam hospital.
• India currently has no laws for clinical trials on living cadaver or brain dead patients. Since there are no laws, no permissions are needed.
• The only requirement is to register the trial at CTRI since there is a grey area when it comes to experimenting on brain dead patients.
• The trials technical name is ‘First In Human Neuro-Regeneration & Neuro-Reanimation’.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The amended Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 which was brought in through the Finance Bill route, will help foreign origin companies to fund NGOs here as well has enable them to give donations to political parties.
• Such funding will now bypass government scrutiny.

ANSWER: Continuous licensing

Explanation:

• The stop and go approach was followed till now for granting licenses to setup new banks.
• In this approach licenses were issued discontinuously. There was a large time gap between three instances when licenses were issued to setup new banks.
• The three instances were 1993, 2001 and 2013.
• This approach has given way to a more continuous licensing regime called the on-tap licensing regime.

ANSWER: 499 and 500

Explanation:

• Sections 499 and 500 of Macaulay’s Indian Penal Code of 1860 prescribes two years’ imprisonment for a person found guilty of defamation.
• The SC upheld the constitutional validity of this law recently.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• The SC noted that reputation of an individual is an equally important right and stood on the same pedestal as free speech.
• The criminalising defamation does not attack freedom of speech and expression.
• One has a right to freedom of speech and expression. One is also required to maintain the idea of fraternity that assures the dignity of the individual.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The new policy aims to pushes IPRs as a marketable financial asset, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, while protecting public interest.
• It will ensure availability of essential and life-saving drugs at affordable prices.
• The policy also states that India shall remain committed to WTO’s Doha Declaration on WTO’s TRIPS Agreement and Public Health.

ANSWER: It has lowest levels of heavy chemical elements

Explanation:

• Leoncino or ‘little lion’ has lowest levels of heavy chemical elements.
• There are relatively few ways to explore conditions at the birth of the universe, but low-metal galaxies are among the most promising.
• Our own Milky way galaxy is a poor source of data due to high level of heavier elements created over time by ‘stellar processing’, in which stars churn out heavier elements.

ANSWER: Vote for UK’s departure from EU

Explanation:

• Britain will vote on whether it wants to leave the European Union. This voting is known as Brexit Vote.
• It is gaining significance as there are concerns regarding the future of EU as other countries too may leave EU.
• Britain has significant economic and political clout in the world affairs and exiting EU will affect the EU as well as the world.

ANSWER: Clearing a dedicated path for fast transport in case of emergency

Explanation:

• Creating Green Corridors means making sure a path is cleared for fast transportation.
• Such Green Corridors are generally been made available in emergencies like transport of organs from one place to another.