10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #45 December 23, 2019

Explanation: A recent study by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has revealed that abrupt changes in the Indian monsoon in the last 900 years decided the course of human history in the subcontinent. A paper titled “Abrupt changes in Indian summer monsoon strength during the last 900 years and their linkages to socioeconomic conditions in the Indian subcontinent” by Anil K. Gupta, professor at the geology and geophysics department of IIT-KGP, highlights that decline of Indian dynasties was linked to weak monsoon and reduced food production.

Explanation: New Zealand authorities said on December 21 that their country will be a safer place after owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback programme following a ban on assault weapons. But critics say the process was flawed and many owners have illegally stashed their firearms. The government banned the most lethal types of semiautomatic weapons less than a month after a lone gunman in March killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques. The police then launched a six month programme to buy the newly banned weapons from owners.

Explanation: It is a flagship programme launched by the Government of Telangana which aims at rejuvenation of water tanks and other water storage structures to provide assistance and help to the small and marginal farmers of the state.

Explanation: The Ministry of Railways has granted in-principle approval for the ‘Silver Line’ project,a proposal of the Kerala government. The Silver line project aims to connect major districts and towns with semi high-speed trains that will run on their own tracks. It involves laying of semi high-speed trains between the two corners of the state of Kerala. The corridor will be 532-km long. It will be built away from the existing line between Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur. The Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail), a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Kerala government to execute projects on a cost-sharing basis, will be the nodal agency.

Explanation: Afghanistan has become the first country to recognise the Indian Pharmacopoeia standards for drugs & medicines. Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules 1945 there under. The IP specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and strength. In order to ensure the quality of medicinal products, the legal and scientific standards are provided by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).