08 Sep 2019: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

September 8th, 2019 CNA:-Download PDF Here

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
POLITY
1. Freebies Model of Delhi
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1. Gurugram Citizens Release Demand Charter
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Pakistan Denies Use of Airspace to Indian President 
C. GS3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Panel set up to Identify Infra Projects for ₹100 Lakh Crore Investment
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. ISRO to Decode Chandrayaan-2 Lander Failure
2. Genomic Grid for India-Specific Cancer Research
3. Biocatalyst Cuts Effluent Discharge during Leather Processing
4. Hydrogels with Adjustable Bactericidal Activity
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY
1. Beyond Gender Binaries
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Trump Administration’s Policy War on Immigration
F. Tidbits
1. AFSPA Extended for Six Months in Assam
2. Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners
3. Iran Breaches Nuclear Deal
G. Prleims Facts
1. Valmiki Community 
2. Green Carpet Project 
3. Korean Demilitarised Zone 
H. UPSC Prelims Practise Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practise Questions

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

Category:POLITY

1. Freebies Model of Delhi

Context:

  • According to some experts, the Delhi government’s consecutive announcements of four ‘freebies’ six months ahead of the Assembly elections is not a good practice.

Details:

  • In the last three months, the Delhi government has announced the following schemes:
    • Free rides for women in metro trains and buses.
    • Free electricity for people who use up to 200 units.
    • Waiver of arrears in water bills.
    • Extension of free entrance coaching to all students whose annual family income is less than Rs. 8 lakh.
  • Assembly elections in Delhi is scheduled to take place in February, 2020.

Freebies Model:

  • In India, freebies are not a recent phenomenon. It was rampant in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
  • Freebies affects the way people vote.
  • However, freebies bring votes only if the people are reasonably happy with the government.

Concerns:

  • Experts say that political parties resort to providing freebies before election time to win the loyalty and allegiance of the voter, since the development projects may not have satisfied the voters.
  • The government need not resort to providing freebies if they had worked well for satisfying the needs of the people.
  • Short term measures such as providing freebies show that the government does not have a long term vision for development.
  • Rational debates does not happen around announcing freebies, as it is done in a haste without a legislative debate.
  • The irresponsible expenditure made by an incumbent government adds burden to the next government which will have to deal with it.

Way Forward:

  • Governments should focus on long term policy making and projects for development.
  • The Election Commission should look into the malpractice of providing freebies by incumbent governments.

To know more about the practice of freebies in Indian politics: Click Here

 

Category:SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Gurugram Citizens Release Demand Charter

Context:

  • Civil society members of the Badshahpur and Gurugram Assembly constituencies in Haryana came together to release an eleven-point citizens charter.

Details:

  • The citizens’ charter has been released in view of the upcoming election to the Haryana legislative assembly.
  • The charter comes with a slogan: “Baki chhodo, Gurgaon ki bolo” (leave the rest, talk about Gurugram).
  • A social media campaign would also be run on various platforms to create awareness about the charter and to seek suggestions.
  • Suggestions will be taken from meetings that would be held with Residents Welfare Associations too.

Demands Raised:

  • The charter stressed on better infrastructure, women’s safety and social harmony.
  • It also laid focus on the need to protect the Aravalli mountain range and strengthening local governance in the state.

Reasons behind the Move:

  • Those who released the charter said that the real issues were not being discussed by the government and hence the need was felt to come out with this charter.
  • They added that those contesting the elections were the representatives of the people and were duty-bound to raise the real issues of people.

To know more about Citizens Charters: Click Here

Category:INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Pakistan Denies Use of Airspace to Indian President

Context:

  • Federal Aviation Minister of Pakistan denied the use of Pakistani airspace to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind for his flight to Iceland.

Details:

  • The reason being stated behind the denial is India’s continued aggression in the Kashmir issue and oppression against the Kashmiri people.
  • The Pakistani Minister said that India continued to flout international laws and was least bothered about its conduct in Kashmir.
  • Pakistan is also considering not to allow any of the Indian airlines to use their airspace.

India’s Response:

  • The spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs said that India regret the decision of the Pakistan government to deny over flight clearance for a VVIP special flight, which is otherwise granted routinely by any normal country.
  • The spokesperson also called on Pakistan to recognise the futility of such unilateral actions.

Background:

  • After the Balakot airstrikes, India and Pakistan had closed their respective airspaces to each other. Pakistan kept the ban in place for nearly five months.
  • After the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, Pakistan had partially shut its airspace to India.
  • However, Pakistan allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use its airspace for his visit to France in August 2019 as a goodwill gesture.

C. GS3 Related

Category:ECONOMY

1. Panel set up to Identify Infra Projects for ₹100 Lakh Crore Investment

Context:

  • The Ministry of Finance has constituted a high-level task force to identify infrastructure projects for ₹100 lakh crore worth investment to be made by 2024-25.

Objectives:

  • In his Independence Day speech of 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that ₹100 lakh crore would be invested in infrastructure over the next five years.
  • The purpose of the task force is to identify infrastructure projects that will go hand in hand with India’s aims to become a $5-trillion economy.
  • To achieve the target of scaling India’s GDP to $5 trillion by 2024-25, the country needs to spend about $1.4 trillion (₹100 lakh crore) from the fiscal 2019-20 to 2024-25 on infrastructure.
  • The challenge is to step up annual infrastructure investment so that lack of infrastructure does not become a binding constraint on the growth of the Indian economy.
  • India invested about $1.1 trillion in infrastructure in the past decade.

List of Projects:

  • The task force will draw up a ‘National Infrastructure Pipeline’ of ₹100 lakh-crore.
  • This would include both ‘Greenfield’ and ‘Brownfield’ projects with a cost of above ₹100 crore.
  • These will include social and economic infrastructure projects.
  • The task force will identify technically feasible and financially viable infrastructure projects that can be initiated in 2019-20.
  • It will also identify a list of projects that can be included in the pipeline for each of the remaining five years between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
  • The task force will submit its report on the pipeline for 2019-20 by October 31, 2019 and on the indicative pipeline for 2021-25 by December 2019.

Composition of the Task Force:

  • The task force will be headed by the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs.
  • It will be comprised of the Secretaries from different Ministries, senior officials and the CEO of NITI Aayog.

Category:SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. ISRO to Decode Chandrayaan-2 Lander Failure

Context:

  • Indian Space Research Organisation is looking for clues in the last minutes of data from the Vikram lander that failed to make a smooth soft-landing on the lunar surface.

Background:

  • The Vikram lander had been descending for 12 minutes to carry out a smooth landing on the moon’s surface.
  • The descent was going on as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km from the lunar surface.
  • Subsequently, communications from lander to ground station was lost.
  • Chandrayaan-2 is still orbiting around the moon.

Challenges in Landing:

  • The key technological limitation of landers is the large communication lag once they start descending.
  • The Chairman of ISRO had earlier described the time period as ’15 minutes of terror’.
  • A key challenge with understanding what precisely went wrong with Vikram is that there is no ‘black box’ that can be retrieved or examined.

Possible Causes:

  • An increased horizontal velocity might have cast the lander away from the planned site causing ISRO to lose its link with the lander.
  • The lander may have gained velocity at some point instead of losing velocity as it came down.
  • It may also have lost its orientation, attitude or tilt which then increased its velocity. The angular orientation of a spacecraft with respect to an external reference frame is called attitude.
  • An attitude loss or tilt can also cause a loss of communication link or telemetry.
  • In addition to that, the existing speed of the probe and moon’s gravity could have led to a crash of the lander from a height of 2 km.
  • Obstruction by hills or sand high rises could not be ruled out in spite of a rigorous mapping of the terrain between two craters.

Continuation of the Mission:

  • Over the next 14 sun-lit earth days, the scientists would try to revive the link between the lander and earth.
  • According to the Principal Scientific Adviser of India, 90 to 95% of the mission objectives have been accomplished and Chandrayaan-2 will continue to contribute to lunar science notwithstanding the loss of communication with the lander.
  • ISRO will now focus on making the best use of the fully functional orbiter 100 km above the moon.
  • The orbiter carries eight of the 13 Indian payloads. Three others were on the lander and two on the rover Pragyan sitting within the lander.
  • It carries a camera with a resolution of 0.3 m, the best ever used in a lunar mission so far.
  • The life of the orbiter has been increased to 7.5 years instead of the earlier one year, as its fuel had been used economically through a precise launch.

Recent Attempts:

  • In April 2019, Beresheet, a lunar mission by Israeli non-profit organisation ‘SpaceIL’ had crashed on the moon.
  • Beresheet was launched aboard a Falcon rocket made by the US based firm ‘Space X’ and it was cheaper than Chandrayaan-2.
  • The gyroscope engine that keeps the spacecraft oriented and regulates its speed reportedly failed.
  • China has had the most recent successes with lunar landers. Both Chang’e 3 (2013) and Chang’e 4 (2018) landed on the moon successfully.

Future Missions of ISRO:

  • ISRO will return to its routine missions with Cartosat-3, a high-resolution earth observation satellite, by the end of October 2019.
  • After that, it would launch RISAT-2BR1, a remote sensing satellite that can provide all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars (SAR).
  • In 2020, ISRO will also launch Aditya L-1, India’s first solar mission.
  • The activities for the Gaganyaan crewed mission set for 2022 will also continue.
  • ISRO has plans to build a space station and launch interplanetary missions to Mars and Venus.

2. Genomic Grid for India-Specific Cancer Research

Context:

  • The central government plans to set up a National Genomic Grid to study genomic data of cancer patients from India.

Details:

  • The National Genomic Grid will be formed in line with the National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB).
  • The grid will have four parts corresponding to eastern, western, northern and southern parts of India.
  • The grid will collect samples from cancer patients to study genomic factors influencing cancer.

Objectives:

  • The genomic samples will help researchers on India-specific cancer studies.
  • It will help identify the right cancer treatment modalities for the Indian population.
  • It also aims to make cancer treatment viable for people of different economic classes.

National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB):

  • The NCTB was set up at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
  • It has the capacity to stock 50,000 genomic samples from cancer patients. It has already collected samples from 3,000 patients.
  • The first set of 350 genomic data of stomach and breast cancer patients developed from the 3,000 samples at NCTB will be released by the end of October 2019.

3. Biocatalyst Cuts Effluent Discharge during Leather Processing

Context:

  • A novel amylase-based biocatalyst helps in processing leather in an environment-friendly way.

Pollution in the Leather Processing Industry:

  • Pre-tanning process generates 60-70% of total pollution during the processing of leather.
  • Chromium is used in the process for increasing the stability of the collagen through cross-linking. It leads to the discharge of chromium into the environment.

Details:

  • A Biocatalyst uses biological systems or their parts to speed up (catalyse) chemical reactions.
  • The biocatalyst was developed by researchers at the Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI), Chennai.
  • The team used genetic code engineering to introduce new chemistry in the amylase enzyme to improve its enzymatic properties.
  • The biocatalyst has 120 times higher binding to the glycan sugar (glycosaminoglycan) present predominantly in the skin.
  • Once the catalysts binds to the sugar, it selectively breaks down (hydrolysis) the sugar thus opening up the skin fibre.

Significance:

  • The biocatalyst will make a threefold reduction in water usage during the processing of leather.
  • It will also reduce the time taken to process the skin at the pre-tanning stage.
  • It will increase the absorption of chromium and reduces its discharge into the environment.
  • The chemical oxygen demand drops by about 35% while the total solid effluent load reduces by over 50%.

4. Hydrogels with Adjustable Bactericidal Activity

Context:

  • Researchers at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) Kolkata have invented a hydrogel that exhibit antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacterial strains.

Details:

  • A hydrogel is a complex fluid consisting of solid particles dispersed in liquid water.
  • Silver is known to have antibacterial property, but it is not used due to its toxicity.
  • When silver acetate was incorporated in the hydrogel the toxicity was reduced and thus suitable for treating bacterial infections.
  • The research team has used a naturally occurring nucleoside molecule cytidine to self-assemble into a hydrogel.
  • The hydrogel has antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacterial strains such as E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and multidrug-resistant Morganella morganii.

Gram Negative Bacteria:

  • Bacteria are grouped into gram positive and gram negative based on their response to the ‘Gram Stain’ test.
  • Gram positive bacteria retains the violet colour used in the test for staining. Gram negative bacteria becomes red or pink after the test.
  • This happens because of the difference in the cell wall structure of the bacteria.
  • Gram positive bacteria have cell walls composed of thick layers of peptidoglycan.
  • Gram negative bacteria have cell walls composed of a thin layer of peptidoglycan and an outer membrane of lipopolysaccharide.
  • Formulating antibiotics against gram negative bacteria is a difficult task when compared to gram positive bacteria.
  • Effectiveness of antibiotics against these two types of bacteria are different too. Ex.: Penicillin is effective against gram positive bacteria while Streptomycin is effective against both gram positive and gram negative ones.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category:POLITY

1. Beyond Gender Binaries

Context:

A judgment made by the Madras High Court and an order issued by the government of Tamil Nadu aims to protect the freedom of intersex infants and children to choose their gender identity.

The Court Verdict:

  • A trans-woman and her husband had approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court with a plea to instruct authorities to register their marriage.
  • In April, 2019, the Bench allowed the plea, but went on to ban sex reassignment surgeries on intersex infants and children.
  • The court observed that the consent of the parent cannot be considered the consent of the child.
  • The Bench had also directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a compliance report.
  • Earlier, Srishti Madurai, a student movement in Tamil Nadu had approached the National Human Rights Commission on the subject.

The Government Order:

  • After the court judgment, the Tamil Nadu government passed an order banning sex normalization surgeries in intersex children and infants.
  • Tamil Nadu’s order comes as the second such move made by any Government on gender and sexual identity.
  • The Parliament of the island of Malta adopted the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act in April 2015.
  • The government order specifies that such surgeries can only be performed in case there is a life-threatening situation.
  • Such a situation will be certified by a team that includes pediatric surgeons/urologists, endocrinologists, a social worker/intersex activist and a government representative.

What Does Intersex Mean?

  • Intersex is the term used to refer to people born with physical and biological characteristics that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies.
  • There are differences between gender, sexual identity and sexual orientation.
    • Gender is assigned at birth based on the anatomy (male or female sexual organs).
    • Sexual identity is what one sees oneself as.
    • Sexual orientation is identified based on the sex a person is attracted to.
  • Genetically, the male is invested with XY chromosomes and the female, XX.
  • In intersex there are at least 40 different variations.

Gender Assignment:

  • Sexual development is a complex process.
  • With huge leaps in the field of medical genetics, it is now apparent to scientists that gender assignment is not merely the function of the X and Y chromosomes.
  • Hundreds of genes have been identified, in which mutations or changes may lead to a ‘different kind of development’ impacting the gender of the fetus.
  • There are several metabolic developments involved in these pathways. All of these differences can’t be detected at the time of birth.
  • Doctors and parents identify it only when the baby exhibits ambiguities in anatomical features. Ex.: the presence of both male and female genitalia, two different genders for internal and external reproductive organs, etc.

Why are Sex Selective Surgeries Performed on Infants?

  • When these differences are identified at birth, parents are eager to resolve the question of the gender of the baby and pick a gender.
  • Surgery to correct the genitalia is then performed on the child.
  • They are ignorant of the fact that the child will have to pick a sexual identity in the process of growing up.
  • The surgery could lead to physical trauma, emotional turmoil and problems arising out of confusion about identity.

Future Prospects:

  • The State’s commitment to its intersex babies would be evaluated by the effectiveness of implementing the order.
  • Awareness is necessary even for the medical community to recognize the possibilities of gender ambiguity.
  • Parents need to undergo counselling in order to accept their children as they are.
  • Infants born with apparent intersex features should be given the freedom to choose their gender identity.

Category:INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Trump Administration’s Policy War on Immigration

Context:

  • The US administration had imposed several rules in August 2019 alone, which has explicitly and implicitly made immigration to America

Rule No.1:

  • According to the new rule, an individual can be denied a green card or even admission to the U.S. if “at the time of application for admission or adjustment of status, (the person) is likely at any time to become a public charge”.
  • The changes will make it easier to designate potential immigrants as being at risk of depending on state funds.
  • It will consequently make it easier to deny them admission or green cards.

Public Charge:

  • Liable to become a Public Charge’ is the term used in the United States to classify prospective immigrants who are denied entry due to their disabilities or lack of economic resources.
  • The administration has increased the list of benefits that could designate a potential immigrant as likely to become a public charge.
  • Factors that would make a prospective immigrant ‘Liable to become a Public Charge’ include:
    • Not having an annual income of at least 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Earlier, it was sufficient if the financial sponsor of a potential immigrant meets certain income criteria.
    • Medical conditions
    • Old age
    • Poor English language skills.

Public Charge Rule:

  • The law has its roots in racist policies from the 1840s and 1850s used to deport and exclude immigrants such as Irish Catholics, and Southern and Eastern Europeans.
  • It was passed in 1882. The same year, the U.S. Congress also passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, limiting Chinese immigration into the country.

Consequences:

  • The net effect of this rule is to pressure prospective immigrants to lose benefits they are legally entitled to.
  • It will also foster a system that favors wealthier, better-educated, younger immigrants who have better English speaking skills.

Rule No.2:

  • Another rule change will make it harder for children born to naturalized U.S. citizens serving in U.S. Embassies or stationed on U.S. military bases abroad to acquire citizenship at birth.
  • This rule is unlikely to impact a large number of children.
  • However, the policy tweak indicates the overall message of the administration with regard to immigration.

Rule No.3:

  • The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has sent out letters saying that it would no longer handle the “deferred action” programme for non-military cases.
  • However, no public announcement was made of the policy tweak.
  • The programme enables individuals to postpone deportation from the USA.
  • Many of those individuals might have come to the U.S. legally, but stayed on after their visas expired.
  • This has included those in the U.S. for the treatment of grave illnesses and life-threatening medical conditions.
    • Maria Isabel Bueso, a 24 year old woman has been in the U.S. since she was seven to participate in a clinical trial for a genetic condition that doctors said would not let her live through adolescence.
    • The woman was among those were told to leave the country within 33 days or face possible deportation proceedings.
    • In Ms. Bueso’s case, fending off deportation could mean the difference between life and death.
    • USCIS said it had received 1,000 deferred action applications related to medical conditions.
  • The USCIS letters said that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would handle the programme.

Conclusion:

  • At the base of the Statue of Liberty, it is etched that ‘Give me your tired, your poor’. The American administration is suspected to have forgotten those words.

F. Tidbits

1. AFSPA Extended for Six Months in Assam

  • The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been extended for six months in Assam.
  • The decision was made after reviewing the law and order situation in the State.
  • The declaration was made under Section 3 of the AFSPA by the State Home and Political Department.
  • The Act grants special powers to security forces to maintain public order in disturbed areas.
  • It has been in force in Assam since November 1990.
  • The State government under the AFSPA has declared Assam as ‘disturbed area’ with effect from August 28, 2019, up to six months unless withdrawn earlier.

To know more about AFSPA: Click Here

2. Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners

  • Russia and Ukraine carried out a long-awaited swap of 70 prisoners as a first step towards ending their conflict.
  • Relations between Russia and Ukraine worsened in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and began backing separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
  • Crimea lies on a peninsula stretching out from the south of Ukraine between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
  • It was under the administration of Ukraine until the annexation by Russia.
  • Fighting there has claimed more than 13,000 lives over the past five years.

3. Iran Breaches Nuclear Deal

  • Iran said that it has fired up 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 advanced centrifuges to boost its enriched uranium stockpiles.
  • Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran was allowed to enrich uranium using only first generation (IR-1) centrifuges.
  • Iran also said on Saturday that it was capable of enriching uranium beyond 20% but for now it had no plans to do so.
  • Iran would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to continue monitoring its nuclear programme, as it has done under the 2015 accord.
  • The JCPOA is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program between Iran, the permanent members of UNSC, Germany and the European Union.
  • USA had withdrawn from JCPOA in 2018.

To know more about JCPOA and its implications for India: Click Here

G. Prleims Facts

1. Valmiki Community

  • Valmiki is a community of people in the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, etc.
  • They worship Valmiki, the Hindu sage who is ascribed as the author of Ramayana epic. It is estimated to have been written in between 5th and 1st century BC.
  • Recently, members of the Valmiki community staged protests in parts of Punjab against a television show titled ‘Ram Siya Ke Luv-Kush’.
  • They alleged that the show had hurt their religious sentiments by distorting facts about ‘Bhagwan Valmiki’.

2. Green Carpet Project

  • The Green Carpet Project is an initiative by the state government of Kerala to promote tourism in the state.
  • The project is being introduced In 84 tourism centres of the state.
  • It is aimed at building a sustainable destination management system through ‘participations and partnerships’.
  • It lays focus on the partnership of tourism organisations, trade centres, local self-government institutions, educational institutions, ‘Kudumbashree’, NGOs and social organisations in promoting tourism.
  • Kudumbashree is a poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala.
  • Kudumbashree has a three-tier structure consisting of Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the middle level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level.

3. Korean Demilitarised Zone

  • The Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is a 2 km-wide joint security area between North Korea and South Korea.
  • It marks the armistice which ended the 1950-53 Korean War, when China and North Korea battled UN forces led by the United States.
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the demilitarised zone between North Korea and South Korea on the last day of his trip to South Korea.
  • The Minister also visited the ‘Dobodari’ bridge that connects South Korea with North Korea.
  • The Minister held extensive talks with the top military brass of South Korea to boost bilateral defence ties.
  • The talks focused on enhancing cooperation between defence firms of the two countries and extending logistical support to each other’s navies.
  • He said that India has always supported efforts to bring in peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the DMZ in April 2018, indicating an end to decades-long hostilities between the two neighbours.
  • Recently, Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea. He met Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and agreed to resume the talks on nuclear energy.

H. UPSC Prelims Practise Questions

Q1. The peninsula of Crimea is located between which of the following seas?

a) Black Sea and Sea of Azov
b) Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea
c) Mediterranean Sea and Ligurian Sea
d) North Sea and Celtic Sea

See
Answer

Answer: a

Explanation:

The peninsula of Crimea is located between Black Sea and the Sea of Azov

Q2. Consider the following statements with reference to Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act:
  1. The Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act was passed in 1948.
  2. The Act grants special powers to security forces to maintain public order in disturbed areas.

Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

See
Answer

Answer: b

Explanation:

The Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act was passed in 1958.

Q3. What is the importance of ‘Gram Stain’ test in medical science?

a) A test to identify different types of bacteria.
b) A test to diagnose colour blindness.
c) A test to assess the degree of burns.
d) None of the above.

See
Answer

Answer: a

Explanation:

Gram stain test is used to identify between gram positive and gram negative types of bacteria.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB):
  1. The NCTB is set up at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
  2. It has the capacity to stock 50,000 genomic samples from cancer patients.
  3. It operates in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 3 only

See
Answer

Answer: c

Explanation:

The NCTB is set up at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

I. UPSC Mains Practise Questions

  1. What is the significance of citizens’ charters in ensuring inclusive development? Illustrate with suitable examples. (250 words, 15 marks)
  2. The identification of appropriate public infrastructure projects is an important factor in India’s quest to become a $5 trillion economy. Discuss. (250 words, 15 marks)

 

Read previous CNA.

September 8th, 2019 CNA:-Download PDF Here

Comments

Leave a Comment

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published.

*

*