UPSC 2017: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz May 14 - May 20

Dalveer Bhandari (born 1 October 1947) is an Indian member of the International Court of Justice and was a judge of the Supreme Court of India.

India’s first rail regulator, Rail Development Authority (RDA) functional areas:

• Look at tariff structures for passenger and freight operations
• Set standards of performance and efficiency – enforceable under the Railways Act.
• RDA defined standards of performance and efficiency ,would be notified as rules under the Railway Act to give a binding force upon acceptance
• RDA would be authorised to check for deviations and suggest remedial measures
• The regulator will provide guidance on quantity and quality of service provided to passengers. These may include setting standards including hours of service, frequency of trains, capacity per coach, cleanliness level, and quality of water, food, furnishing and linen.

The Representation of the People Act and the FCRA bar political parties from receiving foreign funds. 

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is a government regulatory agency {set up as per executive order and thus not a statutory body} that controls the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.

Cases in SC can be filed only through Advocates-on-record.

India’s first bio-refinery plant has been inaugurated by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari at Rahu in Pune district, Maharashtra. The plant will produce ethanol from variety of biomass. The bio‐refinery plant is capable of producing one million litre of ethanol per annum by processing a variety of agro-residue like rice and wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash, corn cobs with superior product yields. Biofuel is cost‐effective and pollution‐free.

Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11):

• The transgenic mustard
• Developed by a team of scientists at Delhi University led by former vice chancellor Deepak Pental under a government-funded project.

It uses a system of genes from soil bacterium that makes mustard — generally a self-pollinating plant.

GM mustard would be the first transgenic food crop to be allowed for commercial cultivation in Indian fields and would be a gateway for several genetically-modified food crops in India.

Base year revised: The base year for the IIP and the WPI will be 2011-12 and not the current 2004-05. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and gross value addition also have 2011-12 as the base year.

Zonal Councils have been established via the part III of the States Reorganization Act of 1956, they are statutory bodies.

Chairman – The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.

Vice Chairman – The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.

The Inter State Council is an Indian constitutional body set up on the basis of provisions in Article 263 of the Constitution of India.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry released WPI data.

The 7th edition of multinational military exercise “Eager Lion” has started in Jordon from May 8, 2017. Approx 7,400 troops from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Arab Gulf region are taking part in the exercises which run to May 18th, including from United States, Britain, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The man oeuvres would include border security, cyber defence, and “command and control” exercises, to bolster coordination in response to threats including terrorism. Jordan is a key recipient of US financial aid and a partner in the US-led coalition battling Islamic State group jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

2017, IITL summit was held in New Delhi

Bt brinjal is developed by Mahyco and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, for commercial release.

On the other hand, GM mustard (DMH-11) was developed by a team of scientists at Delhi University led by former vice-chancellor Deepak Pental under a government-funded project.

The President of India (based on a recommendation from incumbent Govt of India) appoints the Chief Election Commissioner. Conventionally, senior-most Election Commissioner is appointed as CEC. He has tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

The International Court of Justice (commonly referred to as the World Court, ICJ or The Hague) is the primary judicial branch of the United Nations (UN). Seated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, the court settles legal disputes submitted to it by states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.

The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body constituted in the Ministry of Environment and Forests under ‘Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 1989’, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

During photochemical smog NO and O3 both are produced, but major production is of nitrogen oxide and NO2.