IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Nov 24, 2015

ANSWER: Naval operation in Arabian sea

Explanation:
- Operation Trident and its follow-up Operation Python were naval offensive operations launched on Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
- Operation Trident resulted in the first use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region, and only the second worldwide (the first being the sinking of the Eilat) as well as the first sinking of naval vessels during hostilities in the region since World War II.
- India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December to mark this operation.

ANSWER: Maldives

Explanation:
- The 1988 Maldives coup d'état, was the attempt by a group of Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives.
- The coup d'état failed due to the intervention of the Indian Army, whose military operations efforts were code-named Operation Cactus by the Indian Armed Forces.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)

- NTDs are mostly confined to the Asian and African countries out of which most of them are least developed.
- WHO has designed a target to eliminate the most of the NTDs by 2020.
- The ambitious commitment is to eradicate Guinea worm disease, and eliminate lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, African sleeping sickness and blinding trachoma; and to control schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis and river blindness.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:
- Bio tiolets are designed by DRDO.
- Psychrophile bacteria is invisible to the naked eye and originated in the uninhabitable climes of Antarctica.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is using these bacteria for the bio-digester technology it developed for disposal of human waste in an eco-friendly manner.
- DRDO has already tied up with the Indian Railways for bio-toilets on trains.
- DRDO took it upon itself to take up rural sanitation as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. The location chosen was Dhamra, which is close to the spot from where the Agni-V missile was successfully test-fired.

ANSWER: Coconut Oil

Explanation:
- A saturated fat is a fat in which the fatty acids all have single bonds.
- Double bonds can react with hydrogen to form single bonds.
- They are called saturated, because the second bond is broken up and each half of the bond is attached to (saturated with) a hydrogen atom.
- Most animal fats are saturated. The fats of plants and fish are generally unsaturated.

Percentage of Saturated fats:

Ground Nut Oil (18%)
Safflor Oil (10%)
Coconut Oil (90%)
Butter (60%).

ANSWER: Prime Minister

Explanation:
- Government has decided to set up a National Tribal Advisory Council for effecting monitoring and implementation of various tribal welfare schemes.
- The council will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will meet once or twice in a year.

ANSWER: 1,3,4

Explanation:
Objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme:
1. Prevent female infanticide
2. Ensure protection of a girl child
3. Ensure education of a girl child
- The scheme is being implemented through a national campaign and focused multi sectoral action in 100 selected districts low in Child Sex Ratio , covering all States and UTs.
- This is a joint initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development.

ANSWER: 2 and 3

Explanation:
- Karamay Declaration is collaboration between Pakistan and China in space technology under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
- It stressed upon a joint launch of space missions which would consist of astronauts from both countries.
- CPEC is one of the six economic corridors conceived by china under its "Road and Belt " initiative. CPEC is china and pakistans bilateral project connecting Chinese city xinjiang to Gwadar port in Pakistan through highways, railways, pipelines etc.

ANSWER: 24th January

Explanation:
- National girl child day is celebrated every year on 24th of January as a national observance day for the girl child.
- It is celebrated to promote the girls position in the society to make their living better among society people.
- It is very necessary to remove different types of social discrimination and exploitation that girls generally face in their life.
- National Girl Child Day celebration was started by the Women and Child Development Ministry since 2008 to celebrate as the national observance.

ANSWER: Hyderabad

Explanation:
- The main aim of NNMB is to generate data on the nutritional status of socially vulnerable groups.
- The data gathered by the NNMB informed the policy intervention to address under-nutrition.
- The NNMB activity was envisaged, as a collaborative exercise between the Indian Council of Medical Research and the respective State governments. The Bureau was therefore, put under the administrative control of the State Nutrition Officer.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
- The Manila, Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) serves as the Secretariat for the SASEC member countries.
- The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program, set up in 2001, brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka
- It is a project-based partnership to promote regional prosperity by improving cross-border connectivity, boosting trade among member countries, and strengthening regional economic cooperation.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Brihaspati is supposed to be the founder of the Charvaka School of philosophy. It finds mention in the Vedas and Brihadaranyka Upanishad.
- It is supposed to be the earliest in the growth of the philosophical knowledge. It holds that knowledge is the product of the combination of four elements which leaves no trace after death.
- Charvaka philosophy deals with the materialistic philosophy. It is also known as the Lokayata Philosophy - the philosophy of the masses.
- According to Charvaka there is no other world. Hence, death is the end of humans and pleasure the ultimate object in life. C
harvaka recognises no existence other than this material world. Since God, soul, and heaven, cannot be perceived, they are not recognised by Charvakas.
- Out of the five elements earth, water, fire, air and ether, the Charvakas do not recognise ether as it is not known through perception. The whole universe according to them is thus consisted of four elements.

ANSWER: Bharathanatyam

Explanation:
- Rukmini Devi Arundale was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, and an activist for animal rights and welfare.
- She is considered the most important revivalist in the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam from its original 'sadhir' style.
- She established Kalakshetra, an academy of dance and music, built around the ancient Indian Gurukul system, at Adyar, near Chennai.

ANSWER: Arunachal Pradesh

Explanation:
- Teju is India’s easternmost strategic airfield in Arunachal Pradesh
- It has been revived with a new runway. The runway can now host heavy lift aircraft as well as long range bombers which can cross the Greater Himalayan range within minutes.
- Teju is part of the six strategic airfields that were planned for Arunachal Pradesh. Five more airports are underway at Tawang, Daparizo, Anini, Koloriang and Hollangi.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Sukanya Samridhi Account will fetch an interest rate of 9.1 percent and provide income tax rebate.
- Sukanya Samridhi Account can be opened at any time from the birth of a girl child till she attains the age of 10 years with a minimum deposit of 1000 rupees.
- A maximum of 1.5 lakh rupees can be deposited during the financial year. The account can be opened in any post office or authorised branches of commercial banks.
- The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of the account or marriage of the girl child after attaining 18 years of age.
- To meet the requirement of higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50 percent of the balance amount will be allowed after the girl child has attended 18 years of age.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- The Union home ministry has proposed setting up of dedicated investigative units on crimes against women (IUCAW) in 20% of the districts in each state.
- 150 such IUCAW units will be set up in most crime-prone districts, on a pilot basis. These units will entail an annual expenditure of Rs 84 crore, of which Rs 42 crore will be borne by the Centre.
- IUCAW units may comprise 15 personnel, of which five may preferably be women. The states will have flexibility to decide whether to create new posts or designate staff from the existing police strength.
- Each IUCAW will be headed by an additional SP assisted by two DSPs.

ANSWER: Promotion of Sanskrit

Explanation:
- The human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has constituted a 13-member expert committee exclusively on Sanskrit in its attempt to revive interest in the ancient language.
- The committee has been asked to recommend measures to integrate the study of the ancient language with other disciplines such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, medical science and law, suggest changes in Sanskrit education in schools and universities and recommend ways to impart Sanskrit education through modern tools.
- The committee is also tasked with charting out an action plan to develop the language in the next 10 years.

ANSWER: Sugar

Explanation:
- International Diabetes Federation urged global leaders to discourage sweet beverages and sugar with a tax and combat epidemics of diabetes and obesity.
- France, chille and mexico has experienced with such taxes
- National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad recommends sugar consumption of 20 gram/day for both men and women doing sedentary work, 30/day for men and women doing moderate work while 55/day for men and 45/day for women doing heavy work.

ANSWER: Manipuri festival

Explanation:
- Lai Haraoba is a Manipuri festival, and is associated with Meiteis, celebrated to please traditional deities.
- Celebrated in honour of the sylvan deities known as Umang Lai,the festival represents the worship of traditional deities and ancestors.
- The festival is in part a recollection of the creation stories played the deities with the first origin of this universe and evolution of the plants and animals through the will of Atiya Shidaba.