10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: August 4, 2020

Statement 1 is incorrect. COVISHIELD is a potential vaccine against SARS-COV-2 virus that has been granted approval for Phase II+III clinical trials in India by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Statement 2 is correct. It is the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine developed by the Oxford University. The Serum Institute of India, partner in production of the vaccine, has named the product as COVISHIELD.

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a virus (ChAdOx1), which is a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees, that has been genetically changed so that it is impossible for it to replicate in humans.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence.

Statement 2 is correct. It was launched with the aim to achieve self-reliance and to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace Sector by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia.

This initiative provides them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs. iDEX is being funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’.

The share of domestic procurement in overall Defence procurement is about 60 per cent.

Both statements are correct.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) is an economic indicator that surveys purchasing managers at businesses that make up a given sector. The most common PMI surveys are the manufacturing PMI and the services PMI.

The PMI consists of several different surveys that are compiled into a single numerical result depending on one of several possible answers to each question.

The most common elements include: New orders, Factory output, Employment, Suppliers’ delivery times and Stocks of purchases; while the most common answers include: Improvement, No change and Deterioration.

A reading above 50 suggests an improvement/expansion, while a reading below 50 suggests deterioration/contraction.

Both statements are correct.

The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) is an innovative technological solution aimed at strengthening immunization supply chain systems across the country. This is being implemented under National Health Mission (NHM) by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

-It digitizes the entire vaccine stock management, their logistics and temperature tracking at all levels of vaccine storage – from national to the sub-district.

-This enables program managers to have real time view of the vaccine stock position and their storage temperature across all the cold chain points providing a detailed overview of the vaccine cold chain logistics system across the entire country.

-eVIN has reached 32 States and Union Territories (UTs) and will soon be rolled-out in the remaining States and UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim.

All of the above are in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

Agatti Island is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral Agatti atoll in Lakshadweep.

Bangaram is a teardrop shaped island close to Agatti and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep.

Kadmat Island, also known as Cardamom Island, is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi subgroup of islands of the Lakshadweep.

Minicoy Island lying south of nine-degree channel, not shown in the image, is part of the UT of Lakshadweep.

Statement 1 is correct. Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 reorganised the state of Jammu and Kashmir into: (i) the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature, and (ii) the Union Territory of Ladakh without a legislature.

The Union Territory of Ladakh comprises Kargil and Leh districts, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir comprises the remaining territories of the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is administered by the President, through an administrator appointed by him known as the Lieutenant Governor.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Both new UTs share their border with the state of Himachal Pradesh.

From the late 1960s, Northern Ireland was plunged into a violent conflict between republicans who wanted the province to become part of a united Ireland and unionists who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom. The Troubles was a period when there was a lot of violence between two groups.

In 1998 – after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict – the Good Friday agreement (or Belfast Agreement) was signed. This resulted in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists.

The agreement was formally made between the British and Irish governments, and eight political parties of Northern Ireland.

The agreement acknowledged the constitutional status of Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom, reflecting the wish of the majority of citizens. It also established a principle of consent – that a united Ireland could come about if and when a majority of people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland wanted it. In this instance, the British government would be bound to hold a referendum, and honour the result.

All of the above are punishable offences under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

Chapter X of the Act provides for offence and penalties. Some of which are:

-if one obstructs any government employee of the in the discharge of his functions under this Act or for refusing to comply with any direction given under the act.

-if one knowingly makes a claim which he knows or has reason to believe to be false for obtaining any relief, assistance, repair, reconstruction or other benefits.

–misappropriation of money or materials, etc. meant for providing relief in any threatening disaster situation or disaster.

–making or circulating a false alarm or warning as to disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic.

Both statements are incorrect with definitions interchanged.

The real interest rate adjusts the observed market interest rate for the effects of inflation. It is an interest rate that has been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation to reflect the real cost of funds to the borrower and the real yield to the lender or to an investor.

A nominal interest rate refers to the interest rate before taking inflation into account. The nominal interest rate is generally the one advertised by the institution backing the loan or investment.

Real Interest Rate = Nominal Interest Rate – Inflation (Expected or Actual)

The China Study Group (CSG) is an informal group constituted in 1997, comprising the Cabinet Secretary, secretaries of Defence and Home ministries, the Army chief, Director of Intelligence Bureau among others.

[A report on ThePrint has different origin time for group: The CSG was set up in November 1975 on the instructions of then-PM Indira Gandhi, comprising the secretaries of external affairs, defence, and home.]

The National Security Advisor convenes its meeting from time to time. The CSG usually monitors the India-China border, assess its management, and help in preparations for negotiations with China on the border question.