IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - May 19, 2016

ANSWER: U R Rao

Explanation:

• Former ISRO Chairman UR Rao will become the first Indian to be inducted into the 'International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Hall of Fame'.
• Eminent space scientist Prof UR Rao will be honoured by the 2016 'IAF Hall of Fame Award" for his outstanding contribution to the progress of astronautics within the framework of the IAF activities.
• The IAF award is intended to reward personalities for their contributions to the progress of astronautics and the Federation.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• The 2011 Census of India defines towns of two types viz., Statutory town and Census town. Statutory town is defined as All places with a municipality, corporation, Cantonment Board etc. Whereas, Census town is defined based on the places that satisfy the following criteria:

i) a minimum population of 5,000;
ii) at least 75 per cent of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and
iii) a density of population of at least 400 per km2. (1,000 per sq. mile).


• All the Statutory towns, Census towns and Out growths are considered as urban settlements.
• Out Growths are viable units such as a village or part of a village contiguous to a statutory town.
• Examples of out growths are Railway Colonies, University Campus, port areas, etc.
• Conversion of Census towns into Statutory Urban Local Bodies entitles them to Central assistance as per the guidelines of 14th Finance Commission. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), 50% weightage is given to the number of statutory towns in any State/UT in allocation of funds among States/UTs.

ANSWER: Punjab

Explanation:

• World's largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity has been inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab.
• Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year.
• The project would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power approximately 8000 homes.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• World Health Organization has said that India is home to four of the five cities in the world with the worst air pollution.
• The dirtiest air was recorded at Zabol in Iran, which suffers from months of dust storms in the summer.
• The next four are all Indian cities - Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna and Raipur.

ANSWER: Transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township

Explanation:

• The President of India will inaugurate an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan and launch a Mobile App ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township.
• The “Monitor” mobile application is a Residents collaboration tool of the Intelligent Operation Center. This will help residents and domain (Energy, Water, Horticulture, Waste and Security) supervisors to collaborate in a smarter way for their observations.
• It will enable residents to report issues such as broken street lights, electricity failure, water wastage etc. and check resolution status using their mobile devices. This mobile application will allow residents to report these issues using their mobile devices in the Estate on a real time basis.
• These reported observations can be used to provide enough details such as location coordinates, address etc. to concerned departments. This will help the residents of the Estate become more socially responsible, aware and collaborative.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• Government has already decided in January to allow urea producers to produce neem coated urea upto 100 percent of production and making it mandatory to produce a minimum of 75 percent of domestic urea as neem coated, so that farmers are benefitted.
• Neem coated urea is required less in quantity with same plot size and gives higher crop yields.
• Underground water contamination due to leaching of urea also gets reduced with neem coating since nitrogen in the neem coated urea gets released to plants very slowly.
• Neem coated urea is not fit for industrial use, so chances of its illegal diversion to industries will also be lesser.

ANSWER: West to East in Northern hemisphere

Explanation:

• Sub-Tropical Jet stream (STJ) is a narrow band of fast moving air flowing from west to east (Westerlies).
• STJ in northern hemisphere flows between 25° to 35° N in the upper troposphere at a height of about 12-14 kmph.

ANSWER: Anticyclone

Explanation:

• The summertime heating of the plateau of Tibet is the most important factor in the causation and maintenance of monsoonal circulation.
• The Tibet Plateau is 600 kilometers wide in the west and 1,000 kilometers wide in the east. Its length is about 2,000 km. The average height of the plateau is about 4,000 meters. Thus, it is an enormous block of high ground acting as a formidable barrier. The summer-time heating of Tibetan Plateau makes it a heat source.
• A warm-core anticyclone is formed over this plateau during the summer monsoon period. It is the result of a process called anticyclogenesis.

ANSWER: Monsoon bursts suddenly

Explanation:

• Southwest monsoon hits the Kerala coast every year precisely on June 1. Monsoon does not come gradually; it “bursts” suddenly on a single day.
• Sub-Tropical Jet stream (STJ) is a narrow band of fast moving air flowing from west to east [Westerlies]. This jet stream is bifurcated by the Himalayan ranges and Tibetan Plateau.
• A warm-core anticyclone is formed over this plateau during the summer monsoon period. It is the result of a process called anticyclogenesis.
• At the beginning of June, the STJ disappears from the southern side of the plateau. In other words, the jet disappears completely over northern India accentuated by the anticyclogenesis created by the Tibetan plateau. This sudden shift is the cause of the “bursting” of the monsoon.
• Easterly winds blow in the mid-troposphere and are known as the Tropical Easterly Jet. This jet extends far to the south of Tibet and the air flow is roughly along the Calcutta-Bangalore axis.