IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Mar 22, 2016

ANSWER: Agasthyamala

Explanation:

• Ten out of eighteen Indian biosphere reserves are part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
• They are – Nokrek, Sunderbans, Nanda Devi, Gulf of Mannar, Simplipal, Panchmarhi, Achanakmar-Amarkantak and Agasthyamala
• Located in the Western Ghats, in the south of the country, the Agasthyamala biosphere reserve includes peaks reaching 1,868m above sea level.
• Consisting mostly of tropical forests, the site is home to 2,254 species of higher plants including about 400 that are endemic.
• It is also a unique genetic reservoir of cultivated plants especially cardamom, jamune, nutmeg, pepper and plantain.
• Three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve are included in the site.
• A number of tribal settlements with a total population of 3,000 are located in the biosphere reserve. They largely rely on biological resources for their sustenance and recent projects have been set up successfully to reduce their dependence on the forests.

ANSWER: Tackle anti-microbial resistance

Explanation:

• Dept. of Biotechnology launched a fund to tackle anti-microbial resistance.
• In a move to encourage biotechnology start-ups as well as tackle the threat faced by India from resistance to antimicrobial drugs, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) — has invested an initial $1,00,000 to start an India-focused seed fund.

ANSWER: Health

Explanation:

• Longitude Prize is a £ 10 million prize offered by Nesta, a U.K. charity, to any individual group anywhere in the world that develops an affordable, effective diagnostic test to detect resistance to microbes.
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) — has invested an initial $1, 00,000 to start an India-focused seed fund to help groups in India compete for the Longitude Prize.

ANSWER: Australia

Explanation:

• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit undertaking under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• It is teaming up with Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) for a joint funding programme to support innovative technologies for sustainable horticulture at a global level.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a not-for-profit undertaking under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has announced a string of partnerships with domestic and international organizations to support, fund and scale up technologies with focus on health and agriculture.
• With UK’s Nesta, BIRAC will collaborate to create an India-focused seed fund to incentivize innovators to help solve the problem of global antibiotic resistance.
• Tekes, the Finnish funding agency, will help improve competitiveness of Indian and Finnish industries by collaborating in the knowledge innovation chain.
• Horticulture Innovation Australia will be part of a joint funding programme to support innovative technologies for sustainable horticulture at a global level.
• TISS will mentor BIRAC’s social innovators.

ANSWER: 1, 3, 4

Explanation:
The National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-20 intends to:

• Launch four major missions in healthcare, food and nutrition, clean energy and education.
• Create a technology development and translation network across India with global partnership, including 5 new clusters, 40 biotech incubators, 150 TTOs, and 20 bio-connect centres.
• Ensure strategic and focused investment in building human capital by setting up a Life Sciences and Biotechnology Education Council.
• Making India ready to meet the challenge of achieving US$100bn by 2025.

ANSWER: An event to develop software

Explanation:

• Hackathon is an event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming.
• Some hackathons are intended simply for educational or social purposes, although in many cases the goal is to create usable software.
• Some hackathons focus on a particular platform such as mobile apps, a desktop operating system, web development or video game development.
• There have been hackathons devoted to creating applications that use a specific language or framework, like JavaScript, HTML5 and Ruby on Rails.
• Some of them can be for - a cause or purpose; As a tribute or a memorial; for a demographic group; Developing a single application; Innovative economic development; Internal company hackathons; For beginners; or even general.

ANSWER: 2, 3, 4

Explanation:

• The week-long Festival of Innovations in Rashtrapati Bhavan concluded with a 12 hour long coding competition to develop web and mobile applications in hackathon style (non-stop rapid development).
• The topics on which applications were developed were 1) teachers taking attendance after every class 2) examination authentication for students, 3) monitoring entry into public monuments and 4) monitoring of public toilets.

ANSWER: Diarylquinoline

Explanation:

• Diarylquinolines (DARQs) is a chemical class of drugs that treat tuberculosis, e.g. bedaquiline.
• As of 2014, the only licensed indication of the drug bedaquiline is in the treatment of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, primarily due to concerns about safety.
• The government launched Bedaquiline – new anti-TB drug for Drug Resistant TB as part of the RNTCP.
• The drug is a new anti-TB drug for treatment of MDR-TB. This new class of drug is a diarylquinoline that specifically targets Mycobacterial ATP synthase, an enzyme essential for supply of energy to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most other mycobacteria.
• This drug is indicated for use in the treatment of drug-resistant TB.
• Bedaquiline will be given to multi-drug resistant TB patients with resistance to either all fluoroquinolone and/or all second line injectables and extensive drug resistant TB.
• The drug will be made available in six public hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati and Ahmedabad.

ANSWER: Drug Resistant TB

Explanation:

• The Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance, simultaneously.
• This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours.
• It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialized training.
• The programme will be able to use this highly sensitive state-of-art technology for diagnosis of TB among key populations like children, PLHIV and extra pulmonary TB patients.