10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: April 24, 2020

Both statements are correct.

Statement 1 is correct: The Global Report on Food Crises 2020 has been released by the Global Network against Food Crises.

Statement 2 is correct: The Global Network Against Food Crises was launched by the European Union, FAO and WFP during the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to respond to the WHS’s call for new approaches to tackle protracted crises and recurrent disasters, reduce vulnerability, and manage risk, by bridging the divide between development and humanitarian partners.

Statement 1 is correct: Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) launched the VidyaDaan 2.0 programme to contribute e-learning content and help children continue their learning anywhere and anytime in the country.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) launched the VidyaDaan 2.0 programme under its DIKSHA platform.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Government of India constituted the Technology Development Board (TDB) in September 1996, under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995, as a statutory body.

Statement 2 is incorrect: It is constituted to promote development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider application.

Statement 3 is correct: The TDB is the first organization of its kind within the government framework with the sole objective of commercializing the fruit of indigenous research. The board consists of 11 Board members. The Board plays a pro-active role by encouraging enterprises to take up technology oriented products.

A team led by Dr Souvik Maiti and Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research’s Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) in New Delhi have developed a test for detecting corona virus in people. Indian scientists have developed an affordable and easy test for Covid-19 and have named it after the Indian fictional detective, Feluda, a character created by Satyajit Ray.

There are dozens of different oil benchmarks, with each one representing crude oil from a particular part of the globe. However, the prices of most of them are pegged to one of the following three primary benchmarks:

• Brent Crude: Roughly two-thirds of all crude contracts around the world reference Brent Crude, making it the most widely used marker of all. These days, “Brent” actually refers to oil from four different fields in the North Sea: Brent, Forties, Oseberg, and Ekofisk. Crude from this region is light and sweet, making them ideal for the refining of diesel fuel, gasoline, and other high-demand products. And because the supply is waterborne, it’s easy to transport to distant locations.
• West Texas Intermediate (WTI): WTI refers to oil extracted from wells in the U.S. and sent via pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma. The fact that supplies are land-locked is one of the drawbacks to West Texas crude as it’s relatively expensive to ship to certain parts of the globe. The product itself is very light and very sweet, making it ideal for gasoline refining, in particular. WTI continues to be the main benchmark for oil consumed in the United States.
• Dubai/Oman: This Middle Eastern crude is a useful reference for oil of a slightly lower grade than WTI or Brent. A “basket” product consisting of crude from Dubai, Oman or Abu Dhabi, it’s somewhat heavier and has higher sulfur content, putting it in the “sour” category. Dubai/Oman is the main reference for Persian Gulf oil delivered to the Asian market.

Statement 1 is correct. Khasitribal population is indigenous inhabitant of North east India, mainly located in Meghalaya with some population in Assam and bordering Bangladesh regions.

Statement 2 is correct. They speak Khasi language, primarily an oral language with no script of its own. The Khasi language is classified as part of the Austroasiatic language family.

Statement 3 is correct. “DorbarShnong” is the traditional village institution of the village of the Khasis and composed of all Khasi inhabitants of not less than 18 years of age, where the prevailing age-old customary and traditional governance and adjudication are carried -out.

Statement 1 is incorrect. A buyback/share repurchase is when a corporation purchases its own shares in the stock market.

Statement 2 is correct. A repurchase of shares by company reduces the number of shares outstanding in open market. Companies buy back shares for a number of reasons, such as to increase the value of remaining shares available by reducing the supply or to prevent other shareholders from taking a controlling stake.

Statement 1 is incorrect. BCG vaccine is primarily used for protection against Tuberculosis. It is given to infant children mostly but adults who are frequently exposed to bacteria may also be given the vaccine. It uses a weakened but live bacterium.

Statement 2 is correct. The vaccine was originally developed from Mycobacterium bovis, a causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle (known as bovine TB).

Statement 1 is correct..The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), provides for coverage of 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population for receiving food grains at subsidized prices of Rs.1/2/3 per kg for coarse grains/wheat/rice respectively. Coverage under the Act is under two categories- households covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and remaining households as priority households.

Statement 2 is correct. NFSA provides coverage for about 81.35 Crore persons as per Census 2011.

Statement 3 is correct. As per Section 10 of the act, the responsibility of identifying Antyodaya& Priority households lies with State government.

Statement 1 is incorrect. As per article 156(2) in The Constitution of India “the Governor may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office.”

Statement 2 is incorrect. Governor takes oath in the presence of the chief Justice of the High Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to the State, or, in his absence, the senior most Judge of that court available.

AmbubachiMela is a festival to mark the annual menstruation of the goddess which is held at Kamakhya temple, Assam. The AmbubachiMelasymbolises the fertility cult of goddess Kamakhya.

Statement 1 is correct. Sodium Hypochlorite is commonly known as liquid bleach or simply bleach, it is a household chemical widely used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent.

Statement 2 is correct. Dakin’s solution is a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite (0.4% to 0.5%) and other stabilizing ingredients, traditionally used as an antiseptic.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Black soil is most suitable for cotton farming in India. Maharashtra & Gujarat having Black soil are highest cotton producing states in India.

Statement 2 is correct. Bt. cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop approved in 2002 by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for commercial cultivation in the Country.

Statement 1 is incorrect. T-Bills are short term (91 day, 182 day and 364 day) debt instruments having maturity maximum up toan year, these are issued by governments to raise money.

Statement 2 is correct. Treasury bills are zero coupon securities; i.e. they pay no interest, instead they are sold at discount price and when the bill matures, the investor is paid the face value (par value) of the bill they bought.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Devanahallipomelo also called ‘Chakota’ is a variety of the citrus fruit Pomelo and it is exclusively grown in the region around Devanahallitaluk, Bangalore Rural District, India.

Statement 2 is correct. It is protected under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act (GI Act) 1999.