IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Mar 30, 2016

1)   Which of the following are the rules notified by the government of India?
1) Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules
2) Bio- Medical Waste Management Rules
3) E-Waste (Management) Rules


a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. 2, 3
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

  • The Government has notified Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 for the first time.
  • The rules are an initiative to effectively tackle the issues of pollution and waste management.
  • The construction & demolition waste is not a waste, but a resource. The basis of these rules is to recover, recycle and reuse the waste generated through construction and demolition.


2)   Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
1) 100 - Police
2) 101 - Ambulance
3) 102 - Fire


a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. Only 1
d. Only 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

  • 100 for police, 101 for fire, 102 for ambulance and 108 for emergency disaster management.
  • Indian citizens in distress will soon be able to get help using a single number, ‘112’, for all emergency services in the country, including the police, fire brigade and ambulance.
  • Current numbers will continue and act as secondary numbers and all calls to them will be routed to 112.


3)   What recent strategy is being suggested to save black bucks?

a. Micro-sanctuaries
b. Large sanctuaries
c. Zoos
d. National Parks dedicated to black bucks
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Micro-sanctuaries

Explanation:

  • Micro sanctuaries can help blackbuck survive in urban landscape.
  • Providing wildlife refuges even in the form of small protected areas in the increasingly urbanised landscape can help hoofed mammals, including blackbuck, survive.
  • Increasing encroachment by humans has fragmented grasslands into plantations, grazing areas and agricultural lands. The landscape is more populated by humans and cattle and is representative of most semi-arid landscapes in India.
  • The researchers found that blackbuck preferred to stay in the safety of the sanctuary when food was abundant to avoid the risks associated with humans and livestock.
  • But as food supply declined after the monsoon season they began to move into riskier unprotected grasslands, thus responding dynamically to seasonally changing levels of food and risks in the different parts of the landscape.


4)   Recently Panacea Biotech introduced Cabapan injection. It is for

a. Tuberculosis
b. Cancer
c. HIV AIDS
d. Zika fever
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Cancer

Explanation:

  • Drug firm Panacea Biotec launched Cabapan injection, an indigenously developed drug for treating prostate cancer.
  • CABAPAN (Cabazitaxel Injection) is used for treatment of metastatic Castration Resistant Prostrate Cancer (mCRPC).
  • Prostate is the second leading site of cancer amongst males with rising mortality rate in India. With ever changing lifestyles, increased awareness, better diagnostic techniques and increased accessibility to medical treatment, more cases of Ca Prostate are being diagnosed.
  • CABAPAN aims to improve accessibility of this treatment for the benefit of patients at an affordable cost as part of our commitment to Government of India's "MAKE IN INDIA" mission. CABAPAN will be made available at one fifth of the current cost of treatment.


5)   Which of the following is/are true regarding the defeat of government in Parliament?
1) Failure in passage of motion of thanks doesn’t lead to defeat of government. It simply means that the government is in minority.
2) Failure of passage of appropriations bill can lead to failure of legislative assemblies.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

  • At the end of the discussion on motion of thanks, the motion is put to vote. This motion must be passed in the House. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government.
  • Appropriations Bill is money bill. Its defeat in the Lok Sabha leads to the resignation of the government; be it state government or union government.


6)   Which of the following are the circumstances for improper exercise of power under Article 356?
1) Maladministration in the state or allegations of corruption against the ministry or stringent financial exigencies of the state
2) Internal disturbances not amounting to internal subversion or physical breakdown
3) Where a ministry resigns and the governor recommends President’s Rule without probing the possibility of forming an alternative ministry.


a. 1, 3
b. 2, 3
c. All of the above
d. All the above are proper
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The imposition of President’s Rule in a state would be improper under the following situations:

  • Where a ministry resigns or is dismissed on losing majority support in the assembly and the governor recommends imposition of President’s Rule without probing the possibility of forming an alternative ministry.
  • Where the governor makes his own assessment of the support of a ministry in the assembly and recommends imposition of President’s Rule without allowing the ministry to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
  • Where the ruling party enjoying majority support in the assembly has suffered a massive defeat in the general elections to the Lok Sabha such as in 1977 and 1980.
  • Internal disturbances not amounting to internal subversion or physical breakdown.
  • Maladministration in the state or allegations of corruption against the ministry or stringent financial exigencies of the state.
  • Where the state government is not given prior warning to rectify itself except in case of extreme urgency leading to disastrous consequences.
  • Where the power is used to sort out intra-party problems of the ruling party, or for a purpose extraneous or irrelevant to the one for which it has been conferred by the Constitution.


7)   The recently launched self-printing e-CGHS card facility, apart from other beneficiaries,  is primarily aimed at

a. Pregnant Women
b. Youth
c. Women
d. Pensioners
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Pensioners

Explanation:

  • The self-printing of the E-CGHS card will provide ease and access to all those beneficiaries such as the pensioners who may find it difficult to go to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) centers for renewal, and in the event of loss/misplacement of the card.
  • As this can be printed from any location once the process of application based on authentic documents has been approved, this enables easy reprinting by the beneficiary himself/herself.
  • The beneficiary can access this facility by visiting the CGHS portal at cghs.nic.in where simple steps for this have been enumerated.


8)   Which of the following is/are true regarding GIS - HMIS?
1) The Health and Family Welfare Ministry recently launched a new scheme GPS-enabled HMIS (Health Management Information System).
2) Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a completely new system developed for better monitoring of health programmes.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

  • Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a web-based monitoring system that has been put in place by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) to monitor its health programmes and provide key inputs for policy formulation and interventions. It was launched during October, 2008.
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched new initiative - GIS-enabled HMIS application.
  • The initiative will not only monitor the performance and quality of the health services being provided under the NHM, but will also provide effective healthcare to the rural population throughout the country.
  • The GIS-enabled HMIS services will provide comprehensive data on a GIS platform on 1.6 lakh Government Health facilities spread across the country.
  • The project has been developed with the objective of enabling the effective usage of the HMIS application, enhancing analytical capabilities of States/UTs and providing a geographical display of HMIS data using GIS.
  • The application also has scope of incorporating map layers of roads and water bodies which will provide comprehensive information regarding health facilities and disease vulnerable areas of the country.
  • At present, the application is available in login domain of HMIS portal. It is planned to put it in public domain in near future.
  • Moreover, the mapping provides data only on public health facilities presently, which shall soon be expanded to cover private facilities also.


9)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016?
1) It is not mandatory for the waste generators to be waste collectors.
2) Waste generators shall pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal as notified by the concerned authorities.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

  • Every waste generator shall be responsible for collection, segregation of concrete, soil and others and storage of construction and demolition waste generated separately, deposit at collection centre so made by the local body or handover it to the authorised processing facilities, ensure that there is no littering or deposition so as to prevent obstruction to the traffic or the public or drains.
  • Waste generators shall pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal as notified by the concerned authorities.
  • This will ensure Sustainability of Waste Management System for C&D Waste


10)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016?
1) The state government shall be responsible for proper management of construction and demolition waste.
2) The state government shall sanction the waste management plan


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

  • Local Authority shall be responsible for proper management of construction and demolition waste within its jurisdiction including placing appropriate containers for collection of waste, removal at regular intervals, transportation to appropriate sites for processing and disposal.
  • LA shall seek detailed plan or undertaking as applicable, from generator of construction and demolition waste and sanction the waste management plan; seek assistance from concerned authorities for safe disposal of construction and demolition waste contaminated with industrial hazardous or toxic material or nuclear waste if any.