DAY – 56 (InstaTest-56): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2022: Topic – GOVERNMENT SCHEMES, ORGANISATIONS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, PREVIOUS YEAR UPSC PAPER 2003, October 2021 CA – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: B

Norway has a land border that stretches 1,568 miles long. The country shares its land border with three countries; Sweden, Russia, and Finland where Sweden shares the longest portion of the border, while Russia shares the shortest. Except for the country’s border with Russia, Norway’s land border is under the Schengen Area which is characterized by the absence of border controls.

Solution: B

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was established in 1999 as an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) – the document harmonizing anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries.

The 38-member Foundation Board is WADA’s highest decision-making body. It is composed equally of representatives from the Olympic Movement and Governments of the world. Members are appointed by their respective constituency groups.

Solution: D

The Industrial Security Annex (ISA), signed between India and the U.S. at the second 2+2 dialogue in Washington, will open the door for U.S. defence companies to partner with the Indian private sector for several multi-billion dollar deals in the pipeline, especially the deal for 114 fighter jets. The two sides also took stock of the steps being taken to operationalise the foundational agreement, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).

Solution: B

Formally known as the Declaration of Principles (DOP), the Oslo accord established a timetable for the Middle East peace process. It planned for an interim Palestinian government in Gaza and Jericho in the West Bank. Oslo II, officially called the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza, expanded on Oslo I.

It included provisions for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from six West Bank cities and about 450 towns. Additionally, the pact set a timetable for elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council.

The Declaration calls for:

– Israel to withdraw from Jericho and Gaza, and eventually the West Bank.

– Five years of limited autonomy for Palestinians in those areas.

– Election of Palestinian Legislative Council within nine months.

– Establishment of a Palestinian police force.

– The question of Jerusalem was left undecided.

Solution: B

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japanese space agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), on Thursday held a virtual meeting to review projects the two are collaborating on, in particular the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission that is likely to be launched some time in 2024. It involves sending a lander and rover on the Moon’s south pole region, much like Chandrayaan-2 attempted.

Solution: A

Macau, special administrative region of China, on the country’s southern coast. Macau is located on the southwestern corner of the Pearl (Zhu) River (Chu Chiang) estuary and stands opposite the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is some 40 miles (60 km) away on the eastern side of the estuary.

Macau was formerly a colony of the Portuguese Empire, after Ming China leased the territory as a trading post in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887, when it gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was transferred to China.

Solution: A

The World Energy Transitions Outlook report is brought out by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Solution: B

Herat and Kandahar are cities located in Afghanistan

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world’s twelfth longest river and the seventh longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km, and it drains an area of 795,000 km², discharging 475 km³ of water annually.

The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, has a political and strategic significance which belies its size. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War.

Solution: C

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution. The AfDB was founded in 1964 and comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund.

The AfDB’s mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.

Solution: D

ASEAN Regional Forum was launched in 1993. It is twenty-seven-member multilateral grouping developed to facilitate cooperation on political and security issues to contribute to regional confidence-building and
preventive diplomacy.

India is a member country of ASEAN Regional Forum

India has been participating in the East Asia Summit (EAS) since
its very inception in 2005. The EAS consists of 10 ASEAN nations (Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia,
Brunei and Laos), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the U.S

Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was established in 2000. It comprises six
member countries namely India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Solution: B

Desert National Park, near Jaisalmer and coastal grasslands of the Abdasa and Mandvi talukas of Kutch District of Gujarat support some populations.

Great Indian bustard, (Ardeotis nigriceps), large bird of the bustard family (Otididae), one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. The great Indian bustard inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent; its largest populations are found in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Solution: B

The Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) is a global network of international organizations and experts that identifies and addresses major knowledge gaps in green growth theory and practice.

The GGKP was established in January 2012 by the Global Green Growth Institute, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.

Founded in 1992 in the context of the Earth Summit in Rio, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) was established as a platform associating the United Nations and the financial sector globally. The need for this unique United Nations partnership arose from the growing recognition of the links between finance and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges, and the role financial institutions could play for a more sustainable world.

Solution: D

Bio pesticides are made of living things, come from living things, or they are found in nature. They tend to pose fewer risks than conventional chemicals. Very small quantities can be effective and they tend to break down more quickly, which means less pollution.

Types of bio pesticides:

• Microbes – These are tiny organisms like bacteria and fungi. They tend to be more targeted in their activity than conventional chemicals. For example, a certain fungus might control certain weeds, and another fungus might control certain insects. The most common microbial bio pesticide is Bacillus thuringiensis.
• Substances Found in Nature – These include plant materials like corn gluten, garlic oil, and black pepper. These also some include insect hormones that regulate mating, molting, and food-finding behaviors. They tend to control pests without killing them.
• Plant-Incorporated Protectants (PIPs) – These are the genes and proteins, which are introduced into plants by genetic engineering. They allow the genetically modified plant to protect itself from pests, like certain insects or viruses.
• Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.

Biopesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects and mammals.

Solution: D

The Verma Committee on Fundamental Duties of the Citizens (1999) identified the existence of legal provisions for the implementation of some of the Fundamental Duties.

They are mentioned below:

1. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act (1971) prevents disrespect to the Constitution of India, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
2. The various criminal laws in force provide for punishments for encouraging enmity between different sections of people on grounds of language, race, place of birth, religion and so on.
3. The Protection of Civil Rights Act (1955) provides for punishments for offences related to caste and religion.
4. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) declares the imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration as punishable offences.
5. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 provides for the declaration of a communal organization as an unlawful association.
6. The Representation of People Act (1951) provides for the disqualification of members of the Parliament or a state legislature for indulging in corrupt practice, that is, soliciting votes on the ground of religion or promoting enmity between different sections of people on grounds of caste, race, language, religion and so on.
7. The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 prohibits trade in rare and endangered species.
8. The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 checks indiscriminate deforestation and diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.

Solution: C

Article 33 empowers the Parliament to restrict or abrogate the fundamental rights of the members of armed forces, para-military forces, police forces, intelligence agencies and analogous forces. The objective of this provision is to ensure the proper discharge of their duties and the maintenance of discipline among them.

The power to make laws under Article 33 is conferred only on Parliament and not on state legislatures. Any such law made by Parliament cannot be challenged in any court on the ground of contravention of any of the fundamental rights.

Accordingly, the Parliament has enacted the Army Act (1950), the Navy Act (1950), the Air Force Act (1950), the Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1966, the Border Security Force Act and so on. These impose restrictions on their freedom of speech, right to form associations, right to be members of trade unions or political associations, right to communicate with the press, right to attend public meetings or demonstrations, etc.

Solution: D

Solution:

• Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (also known as CAR T cells) are T cells that have been genetically engineered to produce an artificial T cell receptor for use in immunotherapy.
• Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs, also known as chimeric immunoreceptors, chimeric T cell receptors or artificial T cell receptors) are receptor proteins that have been engineered to give T cells the new ability to target a specific protein. The receptors are chimeric because they combine both antigen-binding and T cell activating functions into a single receptor.

Solution: A

Solution:

• Egypt was added as the fourth new member of BRICS New Development Bank. Bangladesh, UAE, and Uruguay joined BRICS New Development Bank in September 2021. Membership expansion enables New Development Bank to position itself as a premier development institution for emerging economies. BRICS New Development Bank is a multilateral bank that was established by Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa to finance sustainable development and infrastructure projects.

Solution: B

Solution:

• The Sherpas’ Track involves technical and policy analyses by working groups comprising officials from each member country and international organisations. It focuses on development-oriented issues such as agriculture, fighting corruption, employment, etc. Energy, climate change finance, investment in infrastructure, and trade were some of the issues discussed by the Sherpas’ Track in G20 Summits.

Solution: C

Solution:

• The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the 3rd largest in the world by volume. India contributes 3.5% of total drugs and medicines exported globally with a ranking of 14 in terms of value.
• However, despite these achievements, India is significantly dependent on import of basic raw materials, viz. Bulk Drugs that are used to produce the Finished Dosage Formulations. Bulk drugs accounted for 63% of the total pharmaceutical imports in the country during 2018-19. India imports bulk drugs largely for economic considerations. It is observed that in some specific APIs the import dependence is 80 to 100%.

Solution: D

Solution:

• AWaRe is a useful tool to reduce antimicrobial resistance and ensure access.
• The AWaRe Classification of antibiotics was developed in 2017 by the WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines as a tool to support antibiotic stewardship efforts at local, national and global levels, Antibiotics are classified into three groups, Access, Watch and Reserve, taking into account the impact of different antibiotics and antibiotic classes on antimicrobial resistance, to emphasize the importance of their appropriate use.

Solution : A

Solution: Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, Nurturing Neighborhoods Challenge, National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) & City Innovation Exchange are programmes of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

Solution: D

Solution: Under this, Government of India is bearing both the employees share & employers share Its aim is to reduce the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries including MSME and will encourage them to hire more workers. The scheme aims to incentivise employers to create new employment, along with social security benefits

Solution : B

Solution: SUPACE: The Supreme Court’s Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency (SUPACE) SUVAAS: It is a neural translation AI based tool for translating SC judgments into vernacular languages. • e-Court Mission Mode Project was conceptualized with a vision to transform the Indian Judiciary by ICT enablement of Courts. • Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FASTER) System:

Solution: B

Solution: Establishment of NCA may require a constitutional amendment

NCA would act as intermediate appellate courts between the State High Courts and the Supreme Court. 

The judgments of these courts of appeal would be final and further have an appeal in Supreme Court & High Courts.

Solution : D

EVM is a microcontroller-based portable instrument designed to modernise the election procedure of conducting elections. EVM consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit. EVMs do not require electricity and run on an ordinary battery

Ans: d

Because   M₁D₁/W₁ = M₂D₂/W₂

(5(1/2))/(1/48) = (6´D₂)/1/40

D₂= [(1/2)´5´48]/(40´6)=1/2

Ans: a

By given condition, n x 30 = n x10+(n+50)´16

⇒20n = 16n + 800 ⇒n=(800/4) = 200

Ans:b

Required time = 1/[(1/1)+(1/2)+(1/3)+(1/6)] = 6/(6+3+2+1)

=6/12h = (6/12 )60 min = 30 min

Ans: b

Ratio of work done by X, Y and Z = 1/2  :  1/3  : ¼ = 6:4:3

Now, ratio in their amount = 6:4:3

∴Part of Y = [4/(6+4+3)] x 3900=Rs. 1200