IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Mar 19, 2016

ANSWER: 1, 2, 4

Explanation:

• Out of the Centrally sponsored schemes, Government gives priority to certain special schemes to achieve social objectives. These schemes are called Flagship schemes.
• Some flagship programmes are –

1. Digital India
2. Sagar Mala
3. Bharat Mala
4. Swachh Bharat Mission
5. Housing for all by 2022
6. Smart Cities
7. Skills India
8. Make in India
9. Namami Gange
10. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Abhiyaan (BBBP)
11. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
12. Atal Pension Yojana, etc.

ANSWER: 1, 2, 4

Explanation:

• There are various small savings schemes in India like – National Savings Certificate (NSC); Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (MIS); Public Provident Fund Scheme; Post Office Time Deposit Scheme; Senior Citizen's Savings Scheme; Post Office Savings Account; etc.
• These are backbone of Indian economy. These have been instrumental in harnessing the capital locked up in the country.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• The objective of the scheme is to reduce the demand for physical gold.
• It also wants to shift a part of the domestic savings used for purchase of gold, into financial savings.
• When one best buys a gold bond by depositing money he is issued a certificate by RBI on the behalf of Government of India which is equivalent to 10gm of physical gold .Prices of this gold bond is linked to prices of gold in market that time.
• Gold bond will be issue in denomination of 2gm, 5gm, 10gm or other denominations. There is cap on maximum value of bonds allotted to per person should be 500gm.
• The tenor of gold bonds could be between 5 to 7 years.
• One can also take loans by pledging these gold bonds to bank. These bonds are easily traded on commodity exchanges

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• The New Frontiers program is a series of space exploration missions being conducted by NASA with the purpose of researching several of the Solar System's planets including Jupiter, Venus, and the dwarf planet Pluto.
• There are currently two New Frontiers missions in progress, New Horizons, which launched on January 19, 2006, and Juno, which launched on August 5, 2011; a third New Frontiers mission, OSIRIS-REx, has been selected for launch in September 2016.
• New Horizons is for Pluto and Juno is for Jupiter.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The minimum thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from 40 microns to 50 microns.
• Plastic carry bag will be available only with shopkeepers/street vendors pre-registered with local bodies on payment of certain registration fee. The amount collected as registration fee by local bodies is to be used for waste management.
• CPCB has been mandated to formulate the guidelines for thermoset plastic (plastic difficult to recycle). In the earlier Rules, there was no specific provision for such type of plastic.
• Producers to keep a record of their vendors to whom they have supplied raw materials for manufacturing carry bags, plastic sheets, and multi-layered packaging. This is to curb manufacturing of these products in unorganised sector.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Rural areas have been brought in ambit of these Rules since plastic has reached to rural areas also. Responsibility for implementation of the rules is given to Gram Panchayat.
• First time, responsibility of waste generators is being introduced. Individual and bulk generators like offices, commercial establishments, industries are to segregate the plastic waste at source, handover segregated waste, pay user fee as per bye-laws of the local bodies.
• A large number of commodities are being packed/wrapped in to plastic sheets and thereafter such sheets are left for littered. Provisions have been introduced to ensure their collection and channelization to authorized recycling facilities.
• Plastic products are left littered after the public events (marriage functions, religious gatherings, public meetings etc) held in open spaces. First time, persons organizing such events have been made responsible for management of waste generated from these events.
• Extended Producer Responsibility: Earlier, EPR was left to the discretion of the local bodies. First time, the producers (i.e persons engaged in manufacture, or import of carry bags, multi-layered packaging and sheets or like and the persons using these for packaging or wrapping their products) and brand owners have been made responsible for collecting waste generated from their products. They have to approach local bodies for formulation of plan/system for the plastic waste management within the prescribed timeframe.

ANSWER: Pain reducing

Explanation:

• An analgesic or painkiller is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve analgesia, relief from pain.
• Antipyretic is fever reducing.
• They are not antibiotics.
• Antacids are Acidity reducing.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• The bye-laws finally empowers urban local bodies in different states to grant construction permits within limits proposed and monitor different initiatives such as rainwater harvesting and solar power generation.
• There are also provisions for local body to provide incentives to individuals for rain water harvesting and roof top solar power generation by various mechanisms including discounts and rebate in property tax.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The model building bye-laws provide for the integration of various types of environmental considerations.
• Once implemented, there will be no requirement for any separate environmental clearance or permission.
• The new bye-laws provide a structural framework for single window integrated building plan approval process and set the maximum time limit for all kind of building approvals at 30 days, after which the approval can be considered 'deemed'.
• The new laws have categorized buildings into three categories based on the built-up area -- 5,000 to 20,000 square meters, 20,000 to 50,000 sq mt and 50,000 to 150,000 sq mt.
• A risk based matrix for different types of buildings has also been introduced, for fast track approval of small buildings with low risk criteria and high risk buildings like mall, multi-story or big complexes to be examined in the required detail.
• The bye-laws empower Urban Local Bodies there by empowering the third tier of governance system.

ANSWER: 1, 2, 3

Explanation:

• This would be a form of system in which school books would be accessible for all the students in the form of eBooks and can be read on their computers and tablets. Moreover, the books would be customized and selected by the school faculty considering their curriculum.
• These digital books could be read on laptops and tablets and students just have to download their digital book and start reading and using it. In Hindi, Basta means school bag and that is what the entire project is all about.
• There are broadly three stakeholders of eBasta, who would be brought together on eBasta portal, i.e. students, the schools and the publishers.
• Publishers: Publishers, through eBasta would be able to publish their study materials for schools and students by uploading the e-content of the study material. School and teachers would decide what books and chapters would be accessible to their school students. The teachers and school would have all these features within their control panel.
• Schools: Respective schools can browse through the available content and select and compile the required study material in electronic format for their students of different classes. This is how they can organize an eBasta for each class of their school and provide access to their students for them to download and use the electronic content.
• Students: In order to download the curriculum books from eBasta Portal, students just need to download the eBasta app on their tablets or laptops and continue to download their eBooks.
• The course material through eBasta can only be downloaded through the eBasta app. Students would be required to log in to eBasta Portal and download the app as per their system configuration. Through this app, students can download texts, lectures, video and audio files, etc.