10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: July 6, 2020

Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is a national park in the far eastern region of Bhutan, bordering the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The sanctuary has a diverse ecosystem ranging from the warm broadleaf forests to alpine meadows. It is home to some of the rarest wildlife species in the country, such as the Red Panda and Himalayan Monal Pheasant.

Nimo or Nimu is a village located in Leh, Ladakh UT. The town is famous for nearby views of the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers.

Chumbi Valley of Tibet Autonomous Region (China) is a narrow valley projecting towards the tri junction point of Sikkim (India), Bhutan and Tibet borders.

Statement 1 is correct. As per World Trade Organization (WTO) “Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.”

Statement 2 is correct. Section 84 of the Patents Act 1970 states that “at any time after the expiration of three years from the date of the 1[grant] of patent, any person interested may make an application to the Controller for grant of compulsory licence on patent on any of the following grounds, namely:–

(a) that the reasonable requirements of the public with respect to the patented invention have not been satisfied, or

(b) that the patented invention is not available to the public at a reasonably affordable price, or

(c) that the patented invention is not worked in the territory of India.”

Further under Section 92 if the Central Government is satisfied, in respect of any patent in force in circumstances of national emergency or in circumstances of extreme urgency or in case of public non-commercial use, that it is necessary that compulsory licences should be granted at any time after the sealing thereof to work the invention, it may make a declaration to that effect, by notification in the Official Gazette.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Compulsory licensing is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.

Statement 1 is correct. The Representation of People Act, 1951 section 60(c) empowers the Election commission in consultation with the government to notify voters who can vote by postal ballot.

Statement 2 is correct. As per the Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 2020, COVID 19 suspect or affected persons are eligible for voting by postal ballot. These are people :(i) tested as COVID 19 positive by the Government Hospital or the Hospital recognised by the Government as COVID Hospital; or (ii) under home quarantine or institutional quarantine due to COVID 19, and certified by such competent authority, as may be notified by the State Government or Union territory Administration.

Option 1 is correctly matched. PM e-VIDYA is to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education. This will enable multi-mode access to education, and includes: DIKSHA (one nation-one digital platform), TV (one class-one channel), SWAYAM and other initiatives.

Option 2 is correctly matched. Vidyadaan is a national program; a call to the nation, particularly individuals & organizations across the country to contribute e-learning resources in the education domain to ensure that quality learning continues for learners across India.

Contributions can be made by individuals, teachers, educationists, subject experts, schools, government and non-government organisations etc. after registering & nominating themselves.

Option 3 is incorrectly matched. YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) is a unique portal and dashboard to monitor and record the efforts and initiatives of MHRD. The portal will cover various initiatives and efforts of the institutions in academics, research especially related to COVID-19, social initiatives by institutions and the measures taken for the betterment of the well-being of the students.

DIKSHA portal includes curriculum linked resources for teachers and students in an interactive and engaging format.

Both statements are correct.
As per Economic Survey the contribution of agriculture to the GVA has decreased from 18.2% in 2014-15 to 16.5% in 2019-20. The decline was mainly due to a decrease in share of GVA of crops from 11.2% in 2014-15 to 10% in 2017-18. The share has been declining on account of relatively higher growth performance of non-agricultural sectors.
Table below: Economic Survey 2019-20
Services sector accounts for over 50% of the Gross State Added. In 2004-05, services constituted 43.5% of the economy, by 2019-20; the proportion had jumped to 50.4% in real terms (LiveMint). The ES 2019-20 showed 54.3% share of services in GVA of 2018-19.
Graph Below: LiveMint

Statement 1 is correct. Kawasaki disease/syndrome is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of some blood vessels in the body. Clinical signs include fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, and irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat.

Statement 2 is correct. It primarily affects infants and children younger than 5 years of age.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The disease was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, and the first cases outside of Japan were reported in Hawaii in 1976.

Some symptoms common with the rare Kawasaki disease, have been affecting children with Covid-19 disease recently.

Both statements are correct.

When diesel fuel gets cold, it starts to get ‘cloudy’ and thicken up which reduces the flow rates through the fuel system. The pour point of a liquid is the temperature below which the liquid loses its flow characteristics.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has introduced a special winter-grade diesel in India with a low pour-point of -33 Celsius, which does not lose its fluidity function even in extreme winter conditions.

All of the above are defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

– Coastal States exercise sovereignty over their territorial sea which they have the right to establish its breadth up to a limit not to exceed 12 nautical miles; foreign vessels are allowed “innocent passage” through those waters.

– Coastal States have sovereign rights in a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with respect to natural resources and certain economic activities, and exercise jurisdiction over marine science research and environmental protection.

– Coastal States have sovereign rights over the continental shelf (the national area of the seabed) for exploring and exploiting it; the shelf can extend at least 200 nautical miles from the shore, and more under specified circumstances. It comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines.

Blood clotting or coagulation is an important process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. The Platelets (blood cell) and proteins in plasma (the liquid part of blood) work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury.

Statement 1 is correct. Hemophilia A, also called factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency or classic hemophilia, is a genetic disorder caused by missing or defective factor VIII, a clotting protein. People with hemophilia A often, bleed longer than other people.

Statement 2 is correct. Heparin is a naturally occurring anticoagulant which is synthesized in Liver as well as blood cells such as basophils and mast cells. It prevents blood clotting inside blood vessels. It is also injected in body to prevent clotting.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.

Statement 2 is correct. The GEF provides funding to assist developing countries in meeting the objectives of international environmental conventions. The GEF serves as a “financial mechanism” to five conventions: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Minamata Convention on Mercury.