10 PM Current Affairs Quiz : January 18, 2019

Statement 1 is correct – The Bonn Agreement (officially the Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-Establishment of Permanent Government Institutions) was the initial series of agreements passed on December 5, 2001 and intended to re-create the State of Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Statement 2 is correct

Statement 3 is incorrect – China touches 76km border with Afghanistan named as Wakhan Corridor.

SCO members – India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Kyrgyzstan

SAARC members – India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives

Both the statements are correct

RTE was enacted by 86th constitutional amendment and has added Article 21A in the constitution.

Its provisions are –

• Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school.
• It clarifies that ‘compulsory education’ means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
• It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.
• It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.
• It lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours.

Statement 1 is correct – The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends.

Statement 2 is incorrect – The glacier’s melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River in the Indian region of Ladakh, which drains into the Shyok River. The Shyok in turn joins the 3000 kilometre-long Indus River which flows through Pakistan. Thus, the glacier is a major source of the Indus

Statement 3 is correct – The region is home to rare species like snow leopard, brown bear, ibex hill pigeon, yellow-billed crow, red-billed crow, raven, great rosefinch, white-winged river chat, white wagtail and accentor

Statements 2 and 3 are correct

• ASER is  yearly survey that NGO Pratham has been carrying out since 2006.
• There has been some improvement in the reading and arithmetic skills of lower primary students in rural India over the last decade.(statement 1 is incorrect)
• However, skills of Class VIII students have actually seen a decline.
• More than half of Class VIII students cannot correctly solve a numerical division problem and more than a quarter of them cannot read a primary level text.
• Enrolment is increasing and the percentage of children under 14 who are out of school is less than 4%.
• The gender gap is also shrinking.

Statement 1 is incorrect-

100% FDI has been allowed through automatic route for Greenfield pharmaceuticals projects and for Brownfield pharmaceuticals projects, FDI has been allowed up to 74% through automatic route and beyond that through government approval.

Statement 2 is correct-

Constituting mostly APIs (bulk drugs), Indian pharma exports to Iran have been declining in recent years.From $180.50 million in 2015-16, — bulk drugs and intermediates contributing to a little over $119 million and drug formulations and biologicals around $40 million . pharma exports to Iran fell to $160.33 million in 2016-17. Bulk drugs and intermediates accounted for $83.67 million, while export of drug formulations was for almost $47 million.Of the $124.05 million export in 2017-18, the share of bulk drug and intermediates was $66.22 million. Drug formulations and biologicals export stood at $37.58 million.

Statement 1 is incorrect- India has signed an agreement with Iran to pay for crude oil it imports from the Persian Gulf nation in rupees.Indian refiners will make rupee payments in a UCO Bank account of the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC).

Statement 2 is Incorrect- Under the  agreement under which 50% of the amount credited by Indian oil companies could be utilised by Iran for making payments to Indian exporters of goods and services.

Statement 1 is incorrect- Indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter has crossed a milestone, successfully firing an air-to-air missile at a moving target, and it is now ready for induction, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has designed and developed the helicopter.

This is the first time in the country that a helicopter has carried out an air-to-air missile engagement. None of the helicopters in the military services in the country has demonstrated such a capability. The LCH has successfully completed all weapon integration tests and is ready for operational induction

Statement 2 is correct-The LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world that can operate at altitudes as high as Siachen Glacier.

Statement 1 is correct- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Paris in October 1991, and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its Regulations 48/134 of 20 December, 1993.

The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Statement 2 is correct-It is a statutory body.The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 as amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.The Commission consists of a Chairperson, four full-time Members and four deemed Members.The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission

Statement 1 is incorrect-

The composition of the DAC is as follows:

1. Defence Minister: Chairman
2. Minister of State for Defence: Member
3. Chief of Army Staff: Member
4. Chief of Naval Staff: Member
5. Chief of Air Staff: Member
6. Defence Secretary: Member
7. Secretary Defence Research & Development: Member
8. Secretary Defence Production: Member
9. Chief of Integrated Staff Committees HQ IDS: Member

Statement 2 is correct-The functions of the DAC include:

1. in-principle approval of 15 Year Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan for Defence Forces
2. accord of Acceptance of Necessity to acquisition proposals
3. categorization of the acquisition proposals relating to ‘Buy’, ‘Buy & Make’ and ‘Make’