IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Jan 09 & 10, 2016

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- AMRUT(Atal mission for rejunvention and urban transformation) scheme is to develop cities by providing better facilities and civic amenities.
- Under AMRUT, focus will be on providing basic infrastructure like providing tap water and sewer connections to every urban household, solid waste management, provision of roads and public transport.
Promotion of urban reforms to improve urban governance will also be supported.
- This Mission seeks to enable urban local bodies meet service level benchmarks in respect of various services.
- 500 cities with a population of above one lakh each would be included in AMRUT.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- a former Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed as chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
- Devender Kumar Sikri will have a tenure of about two and half years, i.e. till he attains the age of 65 years.
- As per the Competition Act, 2002 a person of ability, integrity and
standing and who has special knowledge of, and such professional experience of not less than fifteen years in, international trade, economics, business, commerce, law finance, accountancy, management, industry, public affairs or competition matters, including competition law and policy, which in the opinion of the Central Government, may be useful to the Commission is eligible for appointment as Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India.

ANSWER: Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

Explanation:
- Know India Program’ is to help familiarize Indian Diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years, with developments and achievements made by the country and bringing them closer to the land of their ancestors.
- It also implements Study India Program which enables Overseas Indian youth to undergo short term course in an Indian University to familiarize them with the history, heritage, art, culture, socio-political and economic developments, etc. of India.
- The government announced its decision to merge the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) with the external affairs ministry in keeping with its broad principle of minimum government, maximum governance.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Phase-II of the system from Farakka to Patna and phase-III from Patna to Varanasi will also be implemented on a priority basis as efforts are on to develop the Ganga as a waterway.
- As part of this project, vessels are being monitored by installing seven remote (base station sites) at Haldia, Garden Reach (GR) Jetty, Tribeni, Swaroopganj, Kumarpur, Ballia and Farakka at a cost of Rs 26.23 crore.
- RIS is a combination of modern tracking equipment related hardware and software designed to optimise traffic and transport processes in inland navigation.

ANSWER: None

Explanation:
Ease of Doing Business: World Bank
Global Competitiveness Report: World Economic Forum

ANSWER: France

Explanation:
- Indian and French troops will begin their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise in Rajasthan.
- Both countries have troops deployed in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations and therefore sharing each other's military experiences will pay meaningful dividends

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- INS Kadmatt, the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes, was commissioned
- The ships of P28 class have been constructed using high grade steel (DMR 249A) produced in India.
- INS Kadmatt is named after one of the large islands amongst the Lakshadweep group of islands off the west coast of India

ANSWER: Stage V, stage VI

Explanation:
- Currently, Bharat Stage-IV fuel is supplied in whole of north India. The rest of the country gets BS-III grade fuel. The government has decided to altogether skip Bharat Stage-V.
- Bharat Stage-VI is equivalent to Euro 6 emission norms.
- The move to Bharat Stage-VI will bring down Nitrogen Oxide emissions from diesel cars by 68 per cent and 25 per cent from petrol engined cars.
- Cancer causing particulate matter emissions from diesel engined cars will also come down by a phenomenal 80 per cent.

ANSWER: 1 and 2

Explanation:
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod for the Stand Up India scheme that is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among women and scheduled castes and tribes.
- Loans under the scheme would be given for greenfield projects in the non-farm sector.
- The scheme will be a refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of Rs 10,000 crore.
- The scheme is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per branch on an average one for each category of entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit at least 250,000 borrowers.
- A credit guarantee mechanism would also be set up through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to support the scheme. Loans under the Stand Up India scheme will range between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

ANSWER: Raghuram Rajan

Explanation:
- RBI chief Raghuram Rajan has been named as the “governor of the year” in the Central Banking Awards for 2015 by a British magazine.
- It was given for his deep understanding of the root causes of economic problems of the country combined with an impressive leadership style.
- The British magazine Central Banking, announcing the name of Mr. Rajan as the ‘Governor Of The Year’
- This is the second award by the London-based magazine and will be presented in the London on March 12.

ANSWER: None

Explanation:
- Karnataka Bird Festival will take place in Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Uttara Kannada district from January 8-10.
- The participants include leading photographs, ornithologists and wildlife experts.
- It is the first such festival to be held in a tiger reserve of the state.
- The first edition of the bird festival was held in Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary in March 2015.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- Black holes are formed when heavy stars exhaust all their hydrogen and collapse under their own weight
- They are exotic space phenomena whose gravitation pulls are so strong that not even light can escape.
- Black holes were first conceived of by John Mitchell some 230 years ago.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:
- The Four Freedoms Award is an annual award presented to those men and women whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to those principles which President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic speech to Congress on January 6, 1941, as essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear.
- The annual award is handed out in alternate years in New York, New York, by the Roosevelt Institute and in Middelburg, Netherlands, by the Roosevelt Stichting.
- The Four Freedoms Award is given to Angela Merkel

ANSWER: A.P. Shah Panel

Explanation:
- The justice A.P. Shah Committee has been constituted two weeks after US-based consultant DeGolyer and MacNaughton (D&M), in its final report, stated that as much as 11.122 billion cubic meters of natural gas, worth over Rs11,000 crore, had migrated from idling Krishna Godavari fields of ONGC to adjoining KG-D6 block of RIL.
- ONGC, which has operated the KG-DWN-98/2 block since 2005, also has another block Godavari PML adjacent to it, which, in turn has a common boundary with the KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 block operated by RIL.
- Of the 58.68 bcm (billion cubic metres) of gas produced from KG-D6 block since April 1, 2009, 49.69 bcm belonged to RIL and 8.98 bcm could have come from ONGC’s side