IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Sep 15 & 16, 2016

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• RITES Limited (earlier known as Rail India Technical and Economic Service) is an engineering consultancy company, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure.
• Established in 1974 by the Government of India, the company's initial charter was to provide consultancy services in rail transport management to operators in India and abroad.
• RITES has since diversified into planning and consulting services for other infrastructure, including airports, ports, highways and urban planning.
• It has been awarded the status of MINIRATNA in 2002.
• RITES is also involved in mega transportation projects like dedicated freight corridors, metros, high speed rail studies, logistics parks, rail infrastructure and green energy etc.

ANSWER: 66

Explanation:

• The Global Innovation Index (GII) aims to capture the multi-dimensional facets of innovation.
• India’s ranking in GII-2016 jumped 15 places to 66th position.
• Aiming to strengthen the eco-system of innovation in the country, and thereby further improve India’s ranking in GII, the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion has decided to set up a Task Force on Innovation.
• India has retained the top rank in Information and Communication Technology Service Export for more than last three years.
• India is the top-ranked economy in Central and Southern Asia, and shows particular strengths in tertiary education and R&D, including global R&D intensive firms, the quality of its universities and scientific publications.
• India also over-performs in innovation relative to its GDP. India ranks second on innovation quality amongst middle-income economies.
• The Task Force will assess India’s position as an innovative country and suggest measures to enhance the innovation eco-system in India and thus improve India’s ranking in the GII.

ANSWER: Mustard

Explanation:

• Brassica juncea is Mustard.
• The Environment Ministry has clarified that the Sub-Committee drawn up by GEAC has experts in subjects relevant to safety evaluation of GE crops.
• The assessment of Food and Environmental Safety (AFES) for Environmental release of GE Mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrid DMH-11 and use of parental events (Varuna bn3.6 and EH2 modbs2.99) for development of new generation hybrids has been opened up for comments.

ANSWER: Navy Warships

Explanation:

• Four Guided missile Destroyers of Project 15B (P 15B) are under construction at M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
• These ships are amongst the most technologically advanced Guided Missile Destroyers of the world, with state-of-the-art weapon/sensor package, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation.
• The design of P15B ships has been developed in house by the Directorate of Naval Design.
• The P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. These ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multi-role helicopters. State of art rail less helo traversing system is being introduced on these ships for efficient helicopter handling on-board.

ANSWER: Warship

Explanation:

• It is second Guided Missile Destroyer under Project 15B, constructed at M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
• Stealth has been a major thrust area in P15B design. Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make these ships difficult to detect.
• The ship embodies features such as Multiple Fire Zones, Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) for Air Conditioning, Battle Damage Control Systems (BDCS), Distributional Power Systems and Emergency DA to enhance survivability and reliability in emergent scenarios.
• The ship’s “fire power” consists of sophisticated weapons-sensor suite including vertically launched Surface to Air Missiles (SAM) and Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSM) for long distance engagement of shore and sea based targets.
• The ship will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.
• It is also noteworthy that this ship has significantly high indigenous content, in the form of weapons, machinery and material. This high level of indigenization has been achieved through participation of both public and private sector.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Under the “Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Mission”, regular events on cleanliness are planned to be organized Railways at all railway premises.
• The focus of Indian Railways is to ensure clean and hygienic toilets, maintenance of cleanliness at stations, trains etc., tree plantation, and removal of encroachments, improving drainage, public awareness campaign and periodic monitoring of the mission.
• Detailed instructions regarding waste management have been issued to Zonal Railways for prompt disposal of waste arising out of catering services at stations and in trains in order to maintain hygiene and cleanliness at all catering units.
• In order to segregate the garbage, the refuse bins (with three colours) so nominated are prominently painted in Green (for Bio-degradable waste), White (for recyclable waste) and Black (all other waste i.e. other than bio-degradable waste and recyclable waste) of sufficient size to ensure all collections.
• Disposal of garbage is done by handling over the garbage to Municipal Authorities, through incineration, dumping in identified landfill sites and composing pit etc. Similarly, hazardous waste is also disposed off as per extant statutory guidelines.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The Bill amends the Act to provide that that the following groups of persons will not be treated as illegal migrants: (i) Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, (ii) who have been exempted from provisions of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Foreigners Act, 1946 by the central government. The 1920 Act mandates foreigners to carry passport, while the 1946 Act regulates the entry and departure of foreigners in India.
• Citizenship by naturalisation: The Act allows a person to apply for citizenship by naturalisation, if the person meets certain qualifications. One of the qualifications is that the person must have resided in India or been in service of the central government for at least 11 years before applying for citizenship.
• The Bill creates an exception for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with regard to this qualification. For these groups of persons, the 11 years’ requirement will be reduced to six years.

ANSWER: OCI has violated any law that is in force in the country

Explanation:

• The Citizenship Act, 1955 provides that the central government may cancel registration of OCIs on certain grounds.
  These include:
• (i) if the OCI has registered through fraud, or
• (ii) within five years of registration has been sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, or
• (iii) it becomes necessary in the interest of sovereignty and security of India, etc.
• The Bill adds one more ground for cancelling registration, that is, if the OCI has violated any law that is in force in the country.

ANSWER: Venezuela

Explanation:

• The 17^th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit was in Margarita Island, Venezuela.
• The 16^th one took place in 2012 in Iran.
• The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. As of 2012, the movement has 120 members and 15 observers.
• The organization was founded in Belgrade in 1961, and was largely conceived by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru; Indonesia's first president, Sukarno; Egypt's second president, Gamal Abdel Nasser; Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah; and Yugoslavia's president, Josip Broz Tito.
• All five leaders were prominent advocates of a middle course for states in the Developing World between the Western and Eastern Blocs in the Cold War. The phrase itself was first used to represent the doctrine by Indian diplomat V. K. Krishna Menon in 1953, at the United Nations.

ANSWER: Peace, Sovereignty and Solidarity for Development

Explanation:

• Theme for the next three years – “Peace, Sovereignty and Solidarity for Development” – is in congruence with NAM’s founding principles.
• Sustainable development is both the bedrock and the highest aspiration of NAM’s efforts; hence the importance of solidarity that this Movement attaches to achieving it.
• The other two elements of Nam’s triad of objectives – Peace and Sovereignty – are a pre-requisite for development.
• A peaceful global environment is essential for development and for development cooperation; such cooperation must be undertaken in exercise of the sovereign will of each member of the community of nations. The interdependence of the three is thus evident and essential.